Jaguar E-Type reincarnated for the new millennium

The Jaguar making all the headlines of late has been the crucial new XJ sedan, but here's a reminder of the leaping cat's glorious past.

The achingly beautiful roadster pictured alongside is the handiwork of UK-based Eagle, an operation that has dedicated itself to the "remanufacture level" restoration and engineering of a single car -- the Jaguar E-Type.  

The one-off you see here was commissioned by a Dr Rick Velaj from Connecticut, USA, and his brief was simple: "I want something a bit special".

Eagle subsequently decided there would be no time or budgetary constraints in their quest to create what is arguably the ultimate E-Type -- and it's no surprise the end result was one of the star attractions at the recent Salon Prive luxury and supercar show in London.

The Eagle E-Type speedster is underpinned by a standard 1966 E-Type chassis, but it's clothed in a handcrafted one-off aluminium bodyshell that -- to our eyes -- succeeds in improving upon the classic lines of the original.

Diehard Jag aficionados may have picked up on the lowered and raked speedster windscreen and the subtly flared wheelarches and widened tracks.

In addition, deeper sills and a lowered floorpan are meant to convey a more muscular stance and lower the seating position. The latter measure is said to enhance the "feeling of connection" with the road while at the same time lowering the centre of gravity.

The interior fit-out also preserves the character of the original E-Type, but there are a few subtle tweaks, such as a "waterfall centre console" that's essentially an extension of the rear decking, while the handbrake is concealed under the central cubby lid.

There are also a few concessions to modernity, such as hidden inertia-reel seatbelts and custom-made alloy wheels with three-eared wheel spinners that maintain an air of authenticity.

The E-Type speedster's dynamics are also likely to be far superior to the 1960s model, thanks to the use of modern springs, dampers, tyres and brakes.

Propulsion comes from a 4.7-litre straight-six that cranks out 223kW -- 50 per cent more than the standard E-Type, while a beefy 460Nm of torque is on tap from just 1700rpm.

Combine these figures with a kerb weight of under 1100kg, and the result is electrifying performance -- the company quotes a sub-five-second 0-60mph (0-96km/h) dash and a top whack around 280km/h.

Nothing more to say... we're too busy drooling.

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