Jaguar only ever built a handful of lightweight E-Types back in the ’60s—12, to be exact—designed to go racing. Unsurprisingly, each was a… lightweight version of the prettiest car ever made.
Eagle, a long-time restorer and custodian of the prettiest car ever made, has gone one step further than even Jaguar. Presenting for your viewing pleasure, the Eagle Lightweight GTR: An even lighter version of Enzo’s favorite motor.
Built for one exacting client, this one weighs just 930kg dry, or 975kg with fluids—30% lighter than a standard E-Type Roadster. And inside this sub-ton beauty is a thoroughly reworked all-aluminum 4.7-liter straight-six.
It’s been treated to a wide-angle head, titanium conrods and triple Webers, and it's attached to a gearbox with magnesium casings and an exhaust made from Inconel and titanium. Eagle reckons on over 424hp per ton. Unlike its kerbweight, that’s… considerable.
Elsewhere, the GTR—good name—features revised suspension geometry, titanium hubs, adjustable Öhlins dampers, bespoke springs and carbon ceramic brakes. In the cabin, there are aluminum seats with four-point harness and lots of black Alcantara because racecar, along with a floating instrument binnacle and even a phone dock. Otherwise… it’s pretty spartan.
All the better to drink in those looks. Hunkered down. Raked. Gorgeous. Eagle is rightly proud of the “precise panel gaps” and “hidden weather seals" and "flush-bonded screen,” along with the painted badges and a “flush-mounted” aluminum fuel cap.
Here’s what the owner said: “Today's performance cars are getting increasingly big and heavy, relying on advanced electronics to disguise the mass. I'm not sure those cars will age very well, so I commissioned Eagle to build me the antithesis: a car that is as light as possible without sacrificing comfort, devoid of screens or other electronics.”
Pretty, right?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
