A perfect confluence of time, ambition, desire, and money has resulted in the restoration of one of the most beautiful cars to become a part of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant car rally held last week. A project showcasing the services offered by Jaguar Classic Works, this beautiful blue 1965 Series 1 Jaguar E-Type Roadster has been upgraded to make it a daily driveable along with some cleverly concealed modern equipment.
While the E-Type has been restored to its original specifications in every way possible, some modifications have been made to suit certain unique demands of the customer as well as to make the E-Type drive and feel as modern as possible.
The highlight on the outside is the metallic blue paint scheme, which takes inspiration from the blue used on the UK’s Union Jack flag. The red interior upholstery colour, meanwhile, takes inspiration from another British icon — pillar boxes (freestanding post boxes). Most of the upholstery was hand made by experts in the Classic Works’ trim shop.
From the thin-rimmed steering wheel to the large dials, aeroplane-like switches on the centre console, cue-ball like gear knob, etc. have been restored to their original specifications — with improvements made wherever possible to make them functional and for a better feel. At first glance, it seems like the lowest part of the centre console is fitted with an old-school cassette player, but the chrome-trimmed part is actually an infotainment system with smartphone mirroring, navigation and Bluetooth connectivity — albeit with a very tiny touchscreen!
The original 4.2-litre, in-line six-cylinder petrol engine has been replaced by a slightly larger displacement 4.7-litre unit. Jaguar Classic claims this new engine delivers superior performance, however, details about how much more performance is available over the former’s max power of 266bhp and 394Nm of peak torque have not been stated. Complementing the updated engine is a new five-speed manual gearbox designed for a modern, refined driving experience.
Also hiding under the sinuous bodywork is an updated chassis with wider wheels, better tyres, and upgraded brakes to help the E-Type handle the improved performance. The improved components should also make it better to drive in terms of dynamics. Best of all, all of these modifications have been achieved without making any alterations to the bodyshell or the chassis, allowing Jaguar Classic to offer these modifications to all owners of the E-Type who would want their classic car to feel and drive like a modern car without losing any of its charms.
Who said money couldn’t buy happiness?
