Photo: ECD Automotive Design
It makes perfect sense that ECD Automotive Design's world-renowned restomod shop in Kissimmee, Florida, is just an hour from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Why? Because this LT1-swapped Series 3 E-Type Jag they just finished is a venerable rocket ship on four wheels. In their day, E-Types earned their clout by being pound-for-pound some of the nicest sports cars to drive ever to leave an English factory. In 2023, this restomod is everything the old cars were, just a hell of a lot faster. Let's take a look at the details.
In the good old days, Series 3 E-Type Jags left the factory sporting a 5.3-liter V12 that might have been utterly brilliant to behold when everything was working right. But, if the car's owner wasn't militant with their maintenance and upkeep, things could take a turn for the worse fairly quickly. Then again, you could say the same thing about basically every other engine from the early 70s. But the 6.2-liter, naturally-aspirated GM LT1 under the hood of this restomod is, in many respects, the complete opposite. With an engine so capable and under-stressed as anything from the LS/LT engine line, one only needs to regularly change the oil to ensure unlimited thrills indefinitely.
With added goodies like a forged crankshaft and connecting rods, a billet-steel camshaft, and Hypereutectic aluminum pistons, even C7 Corvette owners might get jealous of what this restomod has packing under its hood. The extra aftermarket grunt is good for 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft (630.45 n.M) of torque, a mild gain in power over the C7 Vette this motor was likely sourced from. From there, a GM 8L90E eight-speed automatic transmission takes care of shifting gears in this custom rig. It also ensures the eventual new owner could easily swap this Jag's LT1 with the more powerful LT4 or LT5 with little to no fuss involved as far as engine-gearbox pairing is concerned.
E-Type Jags are notoriously entertaining to fling around corners at exuberant speeds. But even so, the upgraded adjustable shocks all around with six-piston disk brakes up front and four-piston discs in the rear make for a package that handles corners even better than the source material. Further props have to go to the ECD team for making everything look as close to factory-fresh as possible, both inside and out. If you'd told most people that the Borrani 15 by 6.5-inch wire wheels were stock, they'd be inclined to believe you unless they took a really close look.
Ditto for the tan leather interior. It's one of those times we desperately wish smell-a-vision were real because the pungent odor of freshly stitched leather combined with the smell of barrel-aged scotch and noxious coal smoke make up the aromas that defined early 70s Great Britain. If dedication to the reference material with that added modern flair is what you're after, we can't think of a better place to find it than right here, right now.
With added goodies like a forged crankshaft and connecting rods, a billet-steel camshaft, and Hypereutectic aluminum pistons, even C7 Corvette owners might get jealous of what this restomod has packing under its hood. The extra aftermarket grunt is good for 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft (630.45 n.M) of torque, a mild gain in power over the C7 Vette this motor was likely sourced from. From there, a GM 8L90E eight-speed automatic transmission takes care of shifting gears in this custom rig. It also ensures the eventual new owner could easily swap this Jag's LT1 with the more powerful LT4 or LT5 with little to no fuss involved as far as engine-gearbox pairing is concerned.
E-Type Jags are notoriously entertaining to fling around corners at exuberant speeds. But even so, the upgraded adjustable shocks all around with six-piston disk brakes up front and four-piston discs in the rear make for a package that handles corners even better than the source material. Further props have to go to the ECD team for making everything look as close to factory-fresh as possible, both inside and out. If you'd told most people that the Borrani 15 by 6.5-inch wire wheels were stock, they'd be inclined to believe you unless they took a really close look.
Ditto for the tan leather interior. It's one of those times we desperately wish smell-a-vision were real because the pungent odor of freshly stitched leather combined with the smell of barrel-aged scotch and noxious coal smoke make up the aromas that defined early 70s Great Britain. If dedication to the reference material with that added modern flair is what you're after, we can't think of a better place to find it than right here, right now.
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