• E.C.D. Automotive Design is now restomodding the classic Jaguar E-Type.
• The company will offer gasoline or electric powertrains.
• Buyers will have a choice of classic or modern colors and trim.
E.C.D. Automotive Design—the company known as East Coast Defenders until 2017—is delving into a new chapter of leaky and charismatic British automotive history. The Florida-based outfit best known for its scrupulously thorough Land Rover restorations now offers its services for the 1961–1974 Jaguar E-Type, which is sort of a low-slung equivalent to a classic Defender—rare and compelling enough to be worth the trouble, but common enough to find plentiful donor cars ready for the E.C.D. treatment.
Like its Defenders, E.C.D.’s Jaguars will be offered with three powertrain options: GM V-8 (a 450-hp LT1), Tesla electric (also 450 hp), or an original Jag inline-six or V-12. That latter option is available with a five-speed manual transmission, and E.C.D. promises that the Jaguar engine comes “with leaks and all,” for an authentic experience. The first car in the works is electric, though. E.C.D. figures that there’s room beneath that sinuous bodywork to stash enough Tesla battery cells for 200 miles of city range, or 140 miles on the highway. Based on our experience with one of their electric Defenders, we bet the Tesla-powered E-Type will be plenty quick.
Besides the powertrain and chassis, there’s a deep menu of options for trim and paint and leather, including both classic E-Type colors and the full roster of current Jaguar hues. Want a 1962 Series 1 in 2023 Pertroixx Blue with brogue Nappa leather and wire wheels? Just break out your checkbook. Prices start at $299,995 and they won’t sell you individual parts or an electric conversion kit, so stop asking.
Donor cars will be sourced from E.C.D.’s United Kingdom outpost or here in the U.S., depending on the customer’s goals for the finished product. The E.C.D. Automotive Design website has a configurator where you can build your dream Land Rover (they’ll also freshen up a Series II or Range Rover Classic), but the E-Type configurator isn’t yet live. Deliveries start next year. And while the idea of a clean and reliable E-Type is certainly appealing, we’re drawn to the old-school options. We’ll take a V-12 and a five-speed, leaks and all.
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Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
