Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations reveals 'new' lightweight E-Type

Jaguar has revealed the prototype of its 'new' Lightweight E-Type - christened Car Zero - where a further six of which will be built and sold. Jaguar had announced early this year that it would recreate six new Lightweight E-Types, each built by Jaguar Heritage which is part of Jaguar Land Rover's new Special Operations division to specifications that mirror the last Lightweight E-Type produced in 1964.

These cars will be handcrafted at the original home of the E-Type, Jaguar's Browns Lane plant in Coventry, England, and sold as period competition vehicles - suitable for FIA homologation for historic motorsport purposes.

The new cars are the 'missing' six vehicles from the 'Special GT E-Type' project, which originally started in February 1963 with the objective of building 18 cars.

The Lightweight E-Type was powered by a highly developed version of Jaguar's straight-six XK engine that had powered the C-Types and D-Types to five Le Mans victories in the 1950s.

The unit developed for the Lightweight E-Type is based on the 3,868cc engine which, in the D-Type, had won Le Mans in 1957. Whether carburettors or fuel injection is specified, brake horsepower is well over 300, and with torque in the region of 379Nm at 4,500rpm.

Jaguar's Advanced Design Studio has been involved in the project from an early stage, charged with arriving at the appropriate level of trim for the new car, together with selecting the materials and colour of finishes.

Connolly leather is used, supplied by Jonathan Connolly, with hides produced to the same specification as those used by Jaguar in the 1960s. This leather is used to trim the competition type aluminium bucket seat base. The centre console covering is also leather, and there is a choice of seven trim colours.

As befits a thoroughbred GT car where weight saving in all areas is demanded, interior trim is minimal. However, the customer can opt for a more fully trimmed car and the Jaguar team can devise bespoke trim packages. Much of Car Zero's interior have intentionally been left unpainted, to emphasise the car's aluminium bodywork.

The studio has also selected a palette of six 'heritage' paint colours recommended for the exterior: Carmine red, opalescent grey metallic, silver metallic, opalescent blue metallic, British racing green and Old English white. However, various colour and trim alternatives are available, as each car is built to the personal specification of each individual customer, who can discuss options with Jaguar's Director of Design, Ian Callum, in person.