How to Buy a Modern Jaguar Lightweight E-Type Race Car

There are some cars that will forever be defined by a moment. The Ford GT40 by Le Mans 1966. The Volkswagen Beetle by the Nazis. And the Jaguar E-Type by the time Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car ever made.” That single testimonial has helped make the sports car one of the most covetable classic rides of all time.

The normal E-Types aren’t necessarily that hard to come by, at least for deep-pocketed collectors, but there is a rare version of the car that has been nigh impossible to get your hands on: the Lightweight E-Type, a race-car variant, only 12 of which were made in the ‘60s. How sought-after are they? When Jaguar built six more in 2015, finishing out what was supposed to be an original run of 18 cars, each model sold for over $1 million.

While you can’t get one of those, and you may not even want to because you prefer modern conveniences like air conditioning and 21st-century legroom, you can now get something arguably better: a brand-new Lightweight GT from British outpost Eagle.

Eagle has made a name for itself by being an all-around E-Type specialist: restoring the cars to factory specification, modernizing them according to their own painstaking standards and offering special-edition versions. Their new Lightweight GT is part of the latter category, providing the look and feel of the rare racer with upgrades those who actually want to drive the car (rather than put it behind glass) will appreciate.

Here’s how it works: Eagle starts with a real-deal E-Type (an original Series 1 model), replaces the body panels with a lightweight aluminum similar to the original (as opposed to the traditional steel) but “more suited to road use,” replaces the Jaguar XK engine with their in-house 4.7-liter inline-six that puts out 380 horsepower, and adds a bevy of sympathetic upgrades including an in-house air-conditioning system and 3D-printed seat adjusters.

Eagle doesn’t list the price for this level of craftsmanship publicly — we’re in the if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it realm of custom cars. But the original models have auctioned for as much as $7.37 million, and if nothing else, these will put you out less than that.

If you want to see it in action, Carfection got a sneak peek: