Jaguar will produce six units of the Lightweight E-Type

Jaguar has announced that it will build six units of the Lightweight E-Type, a lighter and more sporty version of one of the most famous cars in history.

The first of these six units will be unveiled at the end of this summer, as they will be handmade under the same conditions as in the past.

This sudden wave of “historical memory” makes sense if we go back to 1963, when the English firm planned to build 18 units of a sportier, higher-performance version of its E-Type coupé.

However, only 12 were built, so the remaining six chassis were never used. As we mentioned before, these “new” Lightweight E-Types will be built under the same conditions as the other 12, which is why their production is so slow.

Compared with the “conventional” E-Type, the Lightweight E-Types are 114 kg lighter, thanks to the extensive use of aluminium in both the engine and the body panels. The interior is also more spartan, and it doesn’t even keep the chrome trim – inside and out – that the standard E-Type had.

The engine is essentially the same as that of the E-Types, except for the greater use of aluminium. This means the Lightweight E-Types will feature the same 3.8-litre straight-six, which was known for its smoothness and refinement.

Source | Jaguar