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Jaguar to finish building six remaining Lightweight E-Types

Back in February of 1963, Jaguar set about making a small run of lightweight E-Types. It recrafted the bodywork out of aluminum, shoehorned in a 3.8-liter straight-six with an aluminum block, stripped out the interior, removed the chrome trim and fitted lighter-weight side windows. The result was a 250-pound reduction in curb weight and a commensurate increase in performance, especially evident on the race track. The company originally set about building 18 examples, but only managed 12. The remaining six were allocated chassis numbers, but were never built. That is, until now.
Fifty years since the last of the original 12 lightweight E-Types were completed, Jaguar has announced that it is preparing to resume production and complete the final six examples. The company has assigned its top craftsmen to the job, who will build the half-dozen continuation Lightweights to the same exact specifications as the original dozen. Former sister-company and perennial arch-rival Aston Martin undertook a similar task (or at least authorized Zagato to do so) when it sanctioned four continuation examples of the original DB4 GT Zagato based on original chassis numbers in 1988, and another two based on original body shells and stock DB4 chassis in 1992.
Jaguar has not yet announced pricing and availability for the continuation Lightweights, but the first old-is-new example is set to debut this summer, whereupon Coventry will release further details. You can bet, though, that each one will be snapped up rather quick at just about any price the British automaker cares to put on them.

Lightweight E-Type to show historic side of Jaguar Special Operations in Monterey

Jaguar has made a lot of great vehicles over the years, but as far as historians are concerned, it still very much lives in the shadow of the original E-Type, small as it was. In its image, Jaguar has made two generations of XK and the new F-Type, but what we have here is the most faithful continuation of the E-Type heritage yet.
Alongside the Range Rover Sport SVR and the F-Type Project 7 (making its US debut), Jaguar Land Rover and its new Special Operations division will roll into Pebble Beach this year with the continuation Lightweight E-Type. Of the 72,500 E-Types which Jaguar built between 1961 and 1975, only a dozen were Lightweight versions, and they remain the most coveted E-Types of all. It originally planned on building 18 examples, though, and five decades later, it's now committed to completing that original production run in faithful detail.
The Lightweight E-Type was based on the standard roadster and was homologated as such, just with some key upgrades to make it lighter and faster. The biggest change, of course, was the lightweight aluminum bodywork that cut 205 pounds off the curb weight. To replicate it, Jaguar took the last example (the only one made in 1964 after the original eleven were made in '63), scanned half its body surface, mirrored it to ensure symmetry and set about reproducing it with the same standard of materials available in the Sixties (and resisting the urge to go with more modern grades of aluminum). 75 percent of the 230 components are made in-house, with the largest stampings outsourced and built on machinery built to Jaguar's specifications off-site.

Watch four hours of fantastic machinery at Le Mans Classic 2016

The 24 Hours of Le Mans came and went, but it wasn't the end of the automotive activities at Circuit de la Sarthe. This past weekend, the venerable racetrack was host to the 2016 Le Mans Classic, in which seven decades of vintage racecars once again competed for glory. The event started with qualifying on Friday, July 8, and racing on the following Saturday and Sunday. Six "grids" of cars each included a different historic racing era, including the early days from 1923 to 1939, as well as that famous period from 1966 to 1971 that featured the all-conquering Ford GT40. The wide range of eligibility also permitted some unusual machines to show up, such as a 1950 Cadillac Series 61 and a 1974 Dodge Charger. This year also marked the debut of the Group C class for more recent Le Mans racers from 1982 to 1993. The 1991 Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B was not present, but one of the Peugeot 905 race cars that gave the marque a remarkable 1-2-3 finish at the 1993 Le Mans came back for the event. The Le Mans Classic also featured the Jaguar Classic Challenge just for cars made by the feline automaker, and the race attracted a bit of human star power. Chris Harris of Top Gear participated in the marque-specific race while behind the wheel of a new continuation Lightweight E-Type. And although the event happened over the weekend, you can catch most of the action via the recorded live stream above. It features a full four hours of vintage racing with commentary in both French and English. It's a great chance to see one of the best combinations of classic cars and historic venues out there. Related Video: Related Gallery Jaguar Continuation Lightweight E-Type View 46 Photos Image Credit: Le Mans Classic Jaguar Automotive History Classics Videos France chris harris vintage racing le mans classic circuit de la sarthe