Is an electric E-Type still an E-Type?
09/09/2017
It is hardly noticeable from the outside, only if you take a closer look will you notice that the rear exhaust is missing. Otherwise, there is hardly any outward difference until the car sets off. Then the only sounds you hear are the tire noise and the hum of the power electronics, because the Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero is purely electric.
The in-line six-cylinder engine has been removed, as has the gearbox, and instead an electric 220 kWh module has been installed in the otherwise original Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 from 1968. Not by a tinkerer, but by Jaguar Land Rover itself.
This not only made the E-Type faster, but even lighter and of course emission-free, at least when driving. The interior was obviously not left as it was back then, but it is unclear why the carbon look was chosen. The main instruments are electronic with LCD displays, but mimic the round clocks of yesteryear. There is no gearshift, but there is a classic handbrake. The clutch pedal is also conspicuous by its absence.
So this is what the future of classic cars could look like. According to Jaguar, the electric module can be installed in all vehicles that were originally equipped with the famous in-line six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3.4 to 4.2 liters, including the XK 120 and the Mk II.
But is this E-Type still an E-Type? Isn't the engine at least partly the soul of the car? And does it really make sense to combine modern electric drive technology with the disc brakes and safety features of yesteryear? Some purists will be horrified and the Tesla drivers of this world will probably not be converted to classic cars with the Concept Zero. But maybe this is the future after all?
P.S. The "Concept Zero" is not the electric E-Type; Willi Balz's "Windreich" E-Type was already seen doing its rounds a few years ago ...
