Last ever original 1974 Jag E-Type.... just built.

Actually, for the era they were pretty good. It's just that by today's standards the handling and traction is pretty bad.

If you do the labor yourself, "modernizing" an E-Type or XJ (which is essentially a sedan built with the E-Type's tech and suspensions) doesn't take all that much money or time. The only "modernization" that's needed is the fitment of modern tire and wheel packages, replacing all the front suspension bushings with polyurethane or Delrin, and then (optionally) doing a rear alignment with a couple of degrees negative camber.

Currently, the Series 1.5 E-Type with these modernizations is #101 out of 149 on the TopGear Power Board (aka leaderboard) at 1:32.8 - as Jeremy says, "As fast as makes no difference as an Audi TT" at 1:32.7. IIRC, that E-Type did *not* have any of the power-adder modifications and only had the suspension, ignition, and reliability upgrades - which means it had, at best 265hp SAE gross, and more likely had about 180-200hp Net.

Even still, it was faster than these cars, among others. Not bad for a forty year old car with $2000 worth of tweaks:
# 1:32.9 ? SEAT Le?n Cupra R
# 1:32.9 ? Mercedes-Benz SLK350
# 1:33.0 ? Vauxhall Astra VXR
# 1:33.3 ? Volkswagen Golf Mk.IV R32
# 1:33.5 ? Honda Civic Type-R (FN2-2007)
# 1:33.7 ? MG ZT 260
# 1:33.7 ? Volkswagen Golf Mk.V GTI
# 1:33.8 ? Clio Renault Sport 182
# 1:34.0 ? Renault M?gane 225
# 1:34.2 ? MINI Cooper S Works
# 1:34.5 ? Ford Mondeo ST220
# 1:35.0 ? Volvo S60 R
# 1:35.3 ? Vauxhall Vectra VXR

I don't think that many of its contemporaries would do that well even with similar modernization. You have to get into more radical rebuilds to do that, because E-Types' contemporaries tend to be of much worse design. You have to remember, the E-Type is the product of *50's* era design and first appeared in 1961. Yet with a few tweaks, they still hang in there with modern cars - and with a power boost, they can do even better.
 
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Cool, but god those things were terrible. I'd much prefer a modernized version. Isn't the E-Type currently at the bottom of the TG leaderboard?

I dont think anyone has bought an e-type in the modern day and age so they could thrash it around a track. As I recall, the DB5 was slower than the modernized e-type, so that would be the slowest one on the leaderboard.
 
Cool, but god those things were terrible. I'd much prefer a modernized version. Isn't the E-Type currently at the bottom of the TG leaderboard?

Yeah but a lot of the problems the E-Type had were build related not necessarily design related. They were being assembled by idiot communists who would strike at the drop of a hat. They did have design problems but I think the vast majority of issues were because of the ass hats assembling them.
 
The guy that used to own the last E-type ever built just got catastrophically OWNED. :lmao:
 
I've never liked the E-type with all that chrome on it, I prefer the one with the aerodynamic glass headlamp covers and the more understated grille. Pretty cool that's it's just been built though. :)

I knida hope I never get to drive an E-type, because I can deny that they are pigs all of my life and never be disappointed. :D
 
I dont think anyone has bought an e-type in the modern day and age so they could thrash it around a track. As I recall, the DB5 was slower than the modernized e-type, so that would be the slowest one on the leaderboard.

Actually, there are still people campaigning E-Types in vintage classes, and back in the late 70s, long after the car was out of production, one kicked Paul Newman's BRE Datsuns all over SCCA tracks for a couple of years.

The bog-standard DB5 is #147 of 149, being faster than the Volvo 760 GLE 3.0 V6 and the Vauxhall Astra.

Yeah but a lot of the problems the E-Type had were build related not necessarily design related. They were being assembled by idiot communists who would strike at the drop of a hat. They did have design problems but I think the vast majority of issues were because of the ass hats assembling them.

You are correct, sir. The basic design had few issues, it was the parts they were forced to use and the idiots putting them together that was the E-Type's worst problem. The design flaws were corrected over the years of manufacture, or at least most of them were - and there were some biggies - like the original early gearbox, which Jeremy rightfully commented was "like... stirring coal" and the early flat floor which meant you really had no room in the car. Both were fixed within a couple of years of initial production.

The guy that used to own the last E-type ever built just got catastrophically OWNED. :lmao:

The former Last E-Type was never privately owned; it went straight to the Jaguar Daimler Historic Trust collection. And honestly, getting owned couldn't happen to nicer people - the JDHT guys are pricks.

I've never liked the E-type with all that chrome on it, I prefer the one with the aerodynamic glass headlamp covers and the more understated grille. Pretty cool that's it's just been built though. :)

I knida hope I never get to drive an E-type, because I can deny that they are pigs all of my life and never be disappointed. :D

What you're looking for is a late Series I or Series 1.5 E-type, then. Preferably with the 4.2L engine.

Drive one that's been modernized and you won't have to deny it. By modern standards the original stock ones aren't so great... but that's easily fixed. The basic design was sound.
 
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So cool! :D I actually prefer the looks of this one to the series 1.

Does this sort of thing happen much if at all? I wonder how many other cars have been assembled with parts taken off the assembly line?
 
Even still, it was faster than these cars, among others. Not bad for a forty year old car with $2000 worth of tweaks:
# 1:32.9 ? SEAT Le?n Cupra R
# 1:32.9 ? Mercedes-Benz SLK350
# 1:33.0 ? Vauxhall Astra VXR
# 1:33.3 ? Volkswagen Golf Mk.IV R32
# 1:33.5 ? Honda Civic Type-R (FN2-2007)
# 1:33.7 ? MG ZT 260
# 1:33.7 ? Volkswagen Golf Mk.V GTI
# 1:33.8 ? Clio Renault Sport 182
# 1:34.0 ? Renault M?gane 225
# 1:34.2 ? MINI Cooper S Works
# 1:34.5 ? Ford Mondeo ST220
# 1:35.0 ? Volvo S60 R
# 1:35.3 ? Vauxhall Vectra VXR

Actually, that a top of the range sports car from 40 years ago needs thousands of dollars in upgrades just to keep up with a bunch of hatchbacks seems more impressive to me. Not because the E-Type was a bad car (it certainly wasn't), but because modern car design is so impressive.
 
Actually, if you do all the work yourself, you can do it for about $1000, most of which is tires and wheels, if you have the lug stud hubs and not the knockoff-type hubs. Here's what I've got, which is also what you'd fit to an E-Type.

Front upper bushings: $50
Front lower bushings: $50
Front swaybar bushing kit: $40
Four Eagle Alloys 17x8 inch alloy wheels: $400 (more if you want a fancy style)
Four Kumho Ecsta MX 255/40ZR17 tires: $500.

The last two are even wider and stickier than the rubber that was on that reviewed E-Type. They WILL fit an E, too. There's one other thing I need to do to mine that you don't need to do to an E per-se because the weight of the sedan is so much greater; I need to fit a larger front antiroll bar for about $200.

So it's not really "thousands" per se. It's the labor that'll kill your budget. Fortunately, old Jags are relatively easy to work on.
 
Pretty cool.
 
No matter what you think of the e-type as a car, surely you must agree that building it out of 31 year-old parts is awesome-on-toast.

Bravo to those two.
 
"modernizing" an E-Type or XJ (which is essentially a sedan built with the E-Type's tech and suspensions) doesn't take all that much money or time. The only "modernization" that's needed is the fitment of modern tire and wheel packages, replacing all the front suspension bushings with polyurethane or Delrin, and then (optionally) doing a rear alignment with a couple of degrees negative camber.

I'd like to see a full-on modernization job on one of those. New tyres, lighter wheels (with the original look), carbon brakes, lighter uprights, SLA control arms, modern shocks, stiff chassis, the works.

Coupled with the original interior and body styling. What's not to like? It'd be like a modern XK that looked like an old E-Type in every appearance.
 
Wow. I don't really like the E-Type as a car, but the whole story is absolutely astonishing. Interesting, if this is a one-off or are there other similar stories in existence with some other cars that went out of production? If so, they may appear now, after seeing this one come to light.
 
I think I read somewhere that there was a Morris Minor built up in the same manner - this was a long time ago. I liked Morris Minors especially the Traveller (Countryman).
 
I think I read somewhere that there was a Morris Minor built up in the same manner - this was a long time ago. I liked Morris Minors especially the Traveller (Countryman).

Y'know, thanks to a certain other forum, I'd forgotten that Morris made anything other than the Marina.
 
Pre-BMC = Morris Minor (The British Beetle) / Post BMC = Marina. Enough said.

BMC became British leyland then Rover. ... BMC was the start of "communism" see Lord Stokes.
 
The car could really be anything (although the Jag is pretty cool) but the idea of taking all those old parts out of boxes and putting them together and having a classic old car that is brand spankin new....brilliant, just brilliant. It's like travelling back in time.
 
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