E-Type UK, the world-leading expert on the definitive classic sports car, has completed a thorough 3,500-hour restoration and bespoke upgrade programme on a Jaguar E-type Series 1 Roadster, producing a refined and optimised British speedster.
Famously described by none other than Enzo Ferrari as the most beautiful car in the world, thanks to the Hadlow, Kent-based E-Type UK, this gleaming E-type now delivers a ‘fast road’ driving experience to match the stunning looks.
An Icon Revitalised
The subject of the restoration and upgrade works, a 1961 left-hand drive model, was first delivered new to Puerto Rico. After many years overseas, the car returned to the UK, where the current owner bought it as the basis for creating his ultimate open-top E-type.
He tasked E-Type UK – recognised marque experts and specialists in custom Jaguar builds – with further refining the car’s elegant 1960s bodywork to create something more purposeful with elevated modern performance. The customer – who intends to use the car exclusively in warmer climates – instructed the team to remove the soft top entirely to create a true E-type speedster.
Meticulous Restoration Process, Inside and Out
E-Type UK’s expert team has since lavished over 3,500 hours on the car, focusing on every detail down to the very last bolt. As with all the firm’s restoration projects, the process began with a full strip-down of the shell and removal of all components. The team then assessed the body panels comprehensively to ensure structural integrity before carefully blasting them to remove half a century of material build-up.
During the team’s analysis of the car, it was discovered that significant repairs to the shell were needed, with multiple panels badly corroded or rotted from years of exposure to the elements. E-Type UK seized this opportunity to refine the bodywork further and enhance that iconic 1960s design with a de-seamed bonnet and tailgate, including further rounding of bodywork edges across the car.
The de-seaming process also allowed the specialists to remove exterior chrome work for a cleaner look, including the exterior door handles, which were replaced with a subtle internal electronic release. Custom headlight covers capped off the new aesthetic, and all finishing edges have been beautifully rounded without needing a soft top.
With the metalwork complete, the iconic silhouette of the E-Type emerged anew. It surfaced and was finally treated with a coat of Opalescent Gunmetal for a rich, lustrous finish. The painting process took over 400 hours, using the highest-quality products to achieve a show-stopping depth and shine.
An Interior to Match
The same attention to detail has been paid to the interior, with the E-Type UK team creating a custom, totally transformed cabin. Realising the client’s vision, a custom finish was applied to the seats, sills, and carpets—now adorned in Red diamond quilted leather. This is offset by a gleaming, period-correct aluminium centre console and dash, housing the iconic original lineup of Smiths gauges.
The team has also fabricated a bespoke storage area across the rear bulkhead, using this space, which is now beautifully trimmed in matching leather and pattern. This bespoke storage space also doubles up as a helpful seating area for furry friends, ensuring the family’s beloved pets can tag along for the ride. E-Type UK has supplied a removable padded section for added pet-friendly comfort.
Pursuit of Mechanical Perfection
The team spent hundreds more hours on work beneath the car’s skin, entirely refreshing and overhauling its mechanical components. While the vehicle was in the paint, the team had been hard preparing and enhancing its vital elements, such as its beating heart: the fully rebuilt 3.8-litre straight six engine now finished to a ‘fast road’ specification.
The motor has been overhauled from top to bottom in the E-type UK workshops. After being entirely stripped down, the block was honed and bored, and high-lift cams and new bearings were fitted, along with bronze valve guides, uprated valves, a ported head, and a balanced crank. Fully rebuilt triple SU carbs feed it with an increased compression ratio and a lighter flywheel.
The car now also benefits from electronic ignition, a sport ignition coil, a high-torque starter motor, and a lightweight alternator. These changes are complemented by an uprated, performance cooling system and enormous fan for dramatically improved air flow—ideal for enthusiastic drives in the warmer climes where this car will reside.
These changes have created a powerplant that revs with a newfound urgency, emitting an addictive straight six roar in the process—now all the more enveloping thanks to the new ‘speedster’ layout. The motor drives through a brand-new, beautifully mechanical 5-speed manual gearbox, and the enhanced performance is kept in check thanks to upgraded adjustable suspension and sports performance brakes.
A Gleaming Masterpiece
E-Type UK’s creation of this stunning, highly bespoke E-type Speedster is a testament to the company’s commitment to excellence in the classic automotive space, with a unique ability to blend originality with carefully selected, transformative enhancements. It also is a fine reminder of the E-type’s timeless allure, a true British design icon that now delivers truly modern performance to match the stunning looks.
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