Despite the half-century of automotive design that’s ensued since the final Jaguar E-Type was produced in Coventry, England, the venerated British sports car still looks like a contender for “the most beautiful car in the world.” It’s no surprise then that one wealthy client commissioned not one, but two examples in 2024.
That superlative quote was supposedly uttered by Enzo Ferrari, but he’s not the only one who has sung the classic GT’s praises. “[The E-Type] is exciting to look at, but its looks are in no way a mask for unexciting performance. It’s very fast, very stable, and, all in all, probably the car we’d most like to own of any we’ve tested in many a month,” said Car and Driver in a review of the first, 1961 model year.
The E-Type wasn’t replaced until 1974—the decade-plus of production cemented it as a legend. By that time, the engine in that beautifully elongated hood had evolved from the original 3.8-liter straight-six to a 5.7-liter V12.
Somewhat curiously, the client elected to commission the pair of recreations with the smaller 1961-spec displacement, although the powerplant now features electronic fuel injection and a five-speed manual transmission from Jaguar Classic. However, the cars’ color schemes—Signet Green and Opal Black— both hark to 1974 factory hues.
Inside are “Bridge of Weir” tan leather seats, which were hand‑woven and stitched in the Jaguar Classic trim shop, as well as an anodized aluminum center console bearing a unique engraving of a genuine early Series I E‑type blueprint that was displayed at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Elevating the E-Type’s timelessly elegant design higher is a healthy application of literal jewelry. The front features a motif bar badge in silver with guilloche mother of pearl, as well as an 18-carat gold Growler emblem, while the rear badges are rendered in silver. The steering wheel horn push and gear levers mirror the exterior with a silver finish, an 18-carat Growler badge and mother of pearl inlay, adding decadence to the car’s touchpoints.
If these Jags tickle you…too bad, as the marque promises that these are “the only two examples ever to leave the Jaguar Classic workshop.” Swap those pearl inlays for platinum, and they just might make two more for the right price.