Jaguar’s E-Type is an actual icon. Not in the overused empty-praise Instagram comment section sense, but an actual bona fide icon. Its shape turns pretty much every head, and yes, by law we have to mention that Enzo Ferrari said it was the most beautiful car in the history of Everything. It makes a glorious noise, and in its day it was the absolute bomb.
Today, no matter how much you love them, E-Types are pretty cars with Sixties engineering and dynamics. Some have stood the test of time and drive like a dream. Others are ropey money pits for people with beards to fawn over. Of course, there are firms out there who’ll create your perfect E-Type for a price, but these share a very specific problem: they aren’t Jaguar. They’re people in fancy sheds with expensive parts and hammers.
A few years back Jaguar decided to get into the E-Type restoration game itself with the E-Type Reborn project. Jag’s plan is to source Series 1 (1961-68) E-Types, the best looking of the lot, that have had something of a life and return them to their original former glory.
Customers can choose between a coupé or a roadster, a 3.8 or 4.2-liter motor, left or right-hand drive. While an E-Type may enter Jaguar Land Rover’s Classic department a bit of a shed, it’ll leave as though it somehow jumped straight from the line in the Sixties direct to the 2020s. Except on its journey it’ll have encountered Jaguar engineers with 60 years of experience in fixing the stuff that made E-Types go pop. They also have modern tools at their disposal to ensure that things line up as they were supposed to in the 60s and are made to the size at which they were originally designed. A Reborn E-Type is a complete reset that takes the car back to perfect condition.
For just under $400,000 (£295,000 to be precise) you can have your very own old/new E-Type. If you want to throw more money at it, you can spec a raft of sympathetic upgrades to make it easier to live with. A synchromesh gearbox is a good (and essential) start; Series 2 E-Type brake calipers will help it stop better than the hopeless Series 1 jobs; and better cooling is probably a wise move to keep that glorious XK engine healthy.
The resulting car will be, according to Jaguar, “concours-winning standard.” Easy to claim; hard to live up to. But Jag’s in-house team is made up of engineering wizards, which means the resulting car is perfect in every way. The leather is blemish-free, smells like the inside of an expensive handbag, and feels smooth when you sit on it. The hides lining the trunk looks so delicate that you’d feel guilty putting anything other than a bag made of pillows and hugs in there. Every switch is perfectly weighted, each doing its thing with a reassuring click. The panels fit properly. While tall people may struggle to fit in the fixed-head car’s snug cabin, they’ll enjoy playing with the stick-thin wooden steering wheel while they adjust their necks. It all feels... right. And that’s before you press the starter button. You thought the trailers were good? Wait ‘til the movie.
A short pause is followed by that glorious XK engine barking to life. The cabin shakes gently and a wonderful hum bounces off every surface available. The sound is a throwback to a time when engines were joyful, noisy things with their own distinct characteristics, when hardcore gearheads could tell exactly what was coming without looking.
Dipping the surprisingly light clutch is easy enough. Slotting it in to first is a notchy but rewarding experience, letting you hum off the line easily. At low speed the unassisted steering is heavy, even in a car that weighs 2600 lbs, but it gets easier the more speed you throw at it.
Give the gas a gentle tickle and, after a tiny bit of travel, the motor begins to bellow and ease the car forward. Stab harder and the pace builds with gentle urgency, like someone in a hurry doing a sort of graceful walk/run down a busy corridor. While the 265 bhp, 284 lb-ft 4.2-liter straight six fitted to Jaguar’s test car may seem big, peak power kicks in high in the rev range. Jaguar says the Reborn E-Type will crack 0-60 in 7.0 seconds and go on to 153mph. That’s plenty quick enough, frankly; the E-Type may be as new as they come, but its dynamics are six decades old. The steering doesn’t give great feedback by the standards of the current century. Its brakes are better than a standard Series 1 E-Type’s, but they’re still antiquated by today’s standards. The suspension is soft and leans you into corners.
The E-Type isn’t meant for clipping apexes, but for announcing your presence to the world as you cruise. Pin the gas, wait for 3,000 rpm to roll by, and you’ll hear the motor blast deliciousness all over the countryside, feel the nose gently lift as you gather pace, snick from gear to gear through its wonderfully notchy four-speed manual ‘box, and watch the world as onlookers gawp at their dream car blasting by. It’s soft, and yeah, braking requires more planning than you’re used to, but who honestly cares? Enjoy the ride, don’t hammer through it, and end it early.
You can see where cars like the F-Type get their personalities. Okay, the F is blisteringly quick, but it’s also softer than what else is out there. It’s a relaxed way to go fast, a smooth way to enjoy the journey rather than rush to the destination (though it is rather exciting when you’re in a hurry). Grace, Space, Pace, and all that; the E and F-Types share more than a naming convention. They share a spirit.
Jaguar’s Classic team has set a high standard with the Reborn E-Type. It’s not a perfect car to drive, as no E-Type is, but it is a perfect E-Type. That’s a truly wonderful thing to be a part of.
