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Photos provided by Jaguar Land Rover
At some point the sad inevitability of the gasoline engine’s extinction will be realized, but thankfully it’s a ways away yet. It is coming though, and car companies have invested GDP-like amounts of capital into the development of technologies that will be viable in this coming world. It is pretty remarkable I must admit, but the final form that these labors take usually ends up on the uglier side of the automobile’s aesthetic potential. The Prius, the Leaf, the Volt/Bolt (clever…), the Model X. These are not pretty things.
But then we have sources of hope like this: the Jaguar E-Type Zero. Jaguar Land Rover has its own Classic department, as is the fashion nowadays, but they are doing quite a bit more than the typical provisions of OEM parts and services and the issuance of certificates proving that someone has not in fact built their Jag out of a fiberglass kit (seriously, how much are these certificates worth?). In a stated effort to preserve the viability of classic driving experiences going forward, they’ve taken a solid step toward accomplishing their mission in this E-Type. Constructed from a Series 1.5 Roadster, the car has been converted to solely electric power, while retaining all of the beauty of the ’60s design. In a nice touch, they’ve even set up some of the new EV drivetrain to resemble a straight-six underneath the elegant clamshell hood.
The car is not slated for production as of yet, but it’s not being touted as a one-off either, and the company will be showing the car at the JLR Tech Fest in London this weekend as part of a larger judgement of the car’s market viability. The looks are there—have always been there—and the performance aspect isn’t lacking either, with the Zero’s 220kw (just under 300hp) electric motor propelling it to 62 in just 5.5 seconds. With zero emissions. As for the longevity, it’s said to be good for roughly 170 miles of driving (270km), off of a single six to seven-hour charge.
If enough support is thrown behind initiatives like this one, maybe we won’t be relegated to driving the boring blobs we’ve predicted for the future. I don’t know if there’s any real downside to this project, though if there is something inherently offensive in its creation I’m certainly willing to hear it. Perhaps the safety regulations will put a damper on any large-scale production of cars like this, but it’s not like we were ever inundated with E-Types and the like to begin with.
WOW what a clean job they did l just hope they did not good working fuel burner to swap it to EV . If this brings back to life an old forgotten wreck of any kind of classic l say AWESOME keep at it !!
An absolute travesty! EVs are a useless trend, and, an engineering dead end. To do that to such an exceptional classic should get someone put to death. Do not turn classics into useless tree-hugger, hippy crap!
Well, the electro conversion was done by Rimac Automobili, not by Jaguar itself
Beautiful Jaguar; nice article. However, it is obvious that the starting E-type for the conversion was a Series One. See the covered head lamps and the tail lights above the bumpers. Cheers, XKESTASY
I’m actually pretty good at making engine noises myself, so I’d be totally fine with this.
But of course, I’d have to fix that Game Boy dashboard.
LMAO yup me too and with a car like it ld be a giant hotwheels for us 🙂
Yes, please.
Not 100% sold on the dash, like most others here, though.
Could only be better if the interior would have retained more classic style/dash, between this and the Porsche 911 that was converted… well, it’ just electrifying!
The most beautiful electric car ever. But… a small part of me just died.
Most beautiful electric motor car I have ever seen. If the best is not available anymore, why not going with the second best?
It’s an interesting concept and aside from the ‘Knight Rider’ dashboard seems to be well executed. Would I buy one I guess the answer to that is possibly in the future when (if) electrification becomes the norm for now I would stick with petrol power?
I agree, that interior design has no place in any Jag. LCD screens and carbon fiber are cool in 918s and P1s, but are very much out of place here. Where’s my tweed jacket?
The simple fact this is an OEM effort makes it infinitely more appealing on the ‘I’ll have my cake and eat it too’ scale. I think we all have to get use to the idea we’ve reached the apogee of gasoline powered consumer cars and that the future, better or worse, will have an electric component.
NO