This has to be resto-modding at its finest.
Storied British carmaker Jaguar released late last year an all-electric version of its beautiful E-Type, throwing its 60s icon firmly back into the conversation among modern, electric cars. Shown first to the world at the Jaguar-Land Rover Tech Fest last September, the E(V)-Type also played a role more recently in the royal wedding, where the newlywed Duke & Duchess of Sussex drove that same electric roadster to the wedding afterparty.
And thanks to both of those appearances, it seems Jaguar was inundated with requests (and probably a degree of begging and bribery from well-heeled collectors) to make such an electric conversion available to other customers. It appears to have worked too, with the Coventry marque set to introduce EV-converted E-Types to the world by 2020.
“E-Type Zero showcases the incredible heritage of the E-type, and the expertise and craftsmanship at Classic Works, while demonstrating Jaguar Land Rover’s dedication to creating zero emission vehicles across every part of the business, including Jaguar Classic.” — Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar-Land Rover Classic
The E-Type Zeros have not yet had their technical specifications detailed, but we don’t expect them to vary too far from what was seen in the concept car. The E-Type Zero concept was powered by a 40kWh battery, which isn’t insignificant, but leaves room for improvement. Jaguar Classic wants every E-Type Zero to come with an all-electric range in excess of 273km on a full charge, with a recharge time at a maximum of seven hours on a standard plug.
The skateboard architecture that was first seen on the Jaguar I-Pace could be employed here, failing which many of the EV crossover’s components can be utilised in this limited-series run. The lithium-ion battery pack from the I-Pace, Jaguar points out, is the same size and is of similar weight to the inline-6 engine that traditionally powered E-Types.
And the electric motor? That fits nicely where the gearbox used to be, and uses a carry-over differential and final drive, though the propshaft is new. It’s like a match made in heaven.
Jaguar will be showing off a new variation of the E-Type Zero electric concept car at Pebble Beach, which will sport a unique Bespoke Bronze finish befitting its US debut.
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