This very special E Type, inspired by the racing lightweight E Types of the early 1960’s, was built by Concours Sportscar Restoration over a 4-year period. The brief for this commission was to build a very fast yet safe, semi–Lightweight E Type for use at track days but also with the ability to swap out certain components to make it fully FIA compliant. Quite a simple brief for the team at CSR as we have built several very quick E Type’s, but this one was the fastest and best yet!

A suitable donor car was sourced and dismantled to a bare shell. The external body skins removed from the shell whilst the doors, bonnet and bootlid were discarded. The shell was dipped, any repairs that were required were executed and then sent to Bond roll cages for a computer designed full roll cage to be installed.

After additional strengthening around the venerable areas, the shell was primed ready for the handmade alloy skins to be masterfully crafted in house and fitted to the original shell. New alloy doors, bootlid and bonnet were handmade along with a fibreglass hardtop, all in the style and dimensions of a factory lightweight E Type. A full race spec front frame set was sourced from the UK and was painted in chrome paint along with the inside of the cabin, to replicate the look of alloy. Then the final decision on colour was arrived at – Stratos Grey, a Jaguar XKR colour with painted on white roundels which gives a racey, stealth look.

The engine was built in house at CSR utilising a new alloy 3.8 block from Crosthwaite and Gardiner in the UK, who also supplied the dry sump components and a bare alloy wide angle head. From there CSR set about building an engine with a lot more power than the 340hp engines that C&G assemble. Custom pistons of our own design with longer than standard conrods, a new steel crankshaft, different camshafts of our own design, a handmade alloy inlet manifold with 48DCOE weber carburettors and our custom designed and built exhaust system allow the engine to rev to 7000rpm and produces just on 400hp.

A fully rebuilt Jaguar all synchro 4 speed gearbox is used as it complies with historic racing and the differential features a Quaife torque biasing centre with a 3.77 ratio gearset. There are so many modifications, both minor and more major, that are integrated into this car to make it such a special car to drive. And fast.

The suspension is fully adjustable and has had considerable on track tuning to arrive at a beautifully handling car that is very neutral and progressive but is also very usable on the road. Lightweight E Type magnesium peg drive wheels with Avon CR6ZZ tyres are fitted. The brakes are new alloy callipers with vented rotors front and rear.

A very high standard of finish was always going to be the aim and is evident everywhere you look. The integrated fire extinguisher system, the new electronic Smiths instruments, the superb alloy radiator, dry sump tank and header tank, the paintwork – all exquisite for a car with great capabilities.

For the last 10 years the owner has used the car for occasional track days, always looking to further develop the car to not only make it faster, but to make it an easy and enjoyable car to drive. It has been maintained mechanically and cosmetically impeccably and presents as well today as it did when we proudly debuted the car 10 years ago.

With the decision made to move the car on to the next custodian to enjoy and understanding that not everyone wants a track only E Type, we set about making the necessary small changes to enable the car to be road registered, which it is currently in Queensland (but transferrable in any state). This included switching from E85 fuel to PULP (with the necessary retuning required) and fitting a full-length exhaust system. Both of which are easily reverted if track use only is the aim. This opens up more possibilities for the new owner – Targa Tasmania and other tarmac rally events, track days where the car can be driven to and from the track, historic regularity events or revert to a pure track car and take it to the UK and race against the best!

The owner has set an extremely realistic asking price, a figure that represents around 1/2 of the cost of the car to build 10 years ago, and around 1/3 of the cost to build the same car today.