Jaguar will complete rare E-Type lightweight series

The Jaguar E-type is an enigma in the automotive world. The soundtrack from the straight 6 engine 3.8 litre could make a grown man wet himself. Motoring aficionados including Enzo Ferrari himself have called the E-type the most beautiful car ever to lay rubber on tarmac. The E-type sold over 70,000 cars worldwide, making it the most successful Jaguar in history. The lightweight variants were Jaguar’s ballad to their icon.

The lightweight Jaguars, of which the company made only 12 of the originally sanctioned 18, are the cryptids of four wheel history. Only a handful of people have ever had the privilege of setting eyes on one, making driving one entirely inconceivable. Out of the 12 that left the factory, only 11 are believed to have survived.

Jaguar have announced that they will commission the build of the “missing” 6 lightweight E-types in the exact trim that left the factory in 1963. Each of the remaining six is to be hand built by Jaguar’s top in-house artists. The company has promised that the cars will share every detail with the original, including the 3.8 litre all-aluminium straight 6 and the chassis number allotted to them.

The lightweights will continue to have the 114kg advantage over the standard E-type thanks to the brushed aluminium bodywork and engine block, the absence of interior trim and exterior chrome work. Jaguar went a step further to put in lightweight hand-operated side windows, which stands testimony to their commitment to shed pounds.

Jaguar is expecting a stellar response to these cars, stating that first priority will be given to established Jaguar collectors and those with interest in historic race cars.