Photo: TomHarrison.photo for CafeRoadster.com
The rat rod style of customizing automobiles is a thing normally reserved for petrolheads in the United States of America. But on this occasion, we’re dealing with a Jaguar E-Type that was labeled “Monstrous” by its owner.
Photographed by TomHarrison.photo, the story of this not-so-ordinary Monstrous E-Type has been published by CafeRoadster.com and it’s a good one for that matter. Originally a remotely desirable E-Type SII 2+2, Richard Fairbairn found the rusty, incomplete body shell on someone’s field and this is where it starts.
I’m having a hard time trying to imagine what possessed the Monstrous E-Type’s owner to acquire such a bucket of bolts. There were no doors, no hood and no windows, but here’s the deal: Richard is accustomed to the world of hot rods and rather flamboyant customization jobs.
Initially, the man of this story wanted to make a Frankenstein-mobile out of the bodywork with the help of a Reliant Scimitar chassis. But then Richard met Mike Hill of Survivor Customs. The latter is a fabricator with a dash of artistic flair for outlandish automotive projects like this E-Type.
Originally introduced with the 1990 BMW 525i, this motor still retains the inline-six layout of the 4.2-liter XK I6 engine of the 1968 - 1971 Jaguar E-Type Series 2. However, the XK lump could churn out 245 bhp when it was new, so there’s a little deficit in oomph with the BMW mill.
On the aesthetic front, the headlight bezels have been riveted, the nose cone has been extremely modified, while both the cracked red paint and the naked steel bodywork have been protected by a layer of “incredibly tough yacht varnish.”
As a bonus, Mike also stitched some copper wires in the bodywork for that Frankenstein person he was looking forward to create with this E-Type.
A custom prop shaft, banded steel wheels, seats taken from a Lotus Elise and a modified exhaust system from a motorbike complete the English-born rat rod which is known as the Monstrous E-Type.
Before purists start to boo and hiss about this customization, think about Richard’s choice when he found the rusty, incomplete body shell: the scrapper or an unconventional rat rod?
I’m having a hard time trying to imagine what possessed the Monstrous E-Type’s owner to acquire such a bucket of bolts. There were no doors, no hood and no windows, but here’s the deal: Richard is accustomed to the world of hot rods and rather flamboyant customization jobs.
Initially, the man of this story wanted to make a Frankenstein-mobile out of the bodywork with the help of a Reliant Scimitar chassis. But then Richard met Mike Hill of Survivor Customs. The latter is a fabricator with a dash of artistic flair for outlandish automotive projects like this E-Type.
Under the skin lie underpinnings salvaged from a BMW E30 Cabriolet
As for the oomph, that glorious long bonnet with a rusty power bulge hides a BMW M50B25 2.5-liter straight-six mill that packed 189 bhp and 245 Nm (181 lb-ft) when it was brand new in the early 1990s.Originally introduced with the 1990 BMW 525i, this motor still retains the inline-six layout of the 4.2-liter XK I6 engine of the 1968 - 1971 Jaguar E-Type Series 2. However, the XK lump could churn out 245 bhp when it was new, so there’s a little deficit in oomph with the BMW mill.
On the aesthetic front, the headlight bezels have been riveted, the nose cone has been extremely modified, while both the cracked red paint and the naked steel bodywork have been protected by a layer of “incredibly tough yacht varnish.”
As a bonus, Mike also stitched some copper wires in the bodywork for that Frankenstein person he was looking forward to create with this E-Type.
A custom prop shaft, banded steel wheels, seats taken from a Lotus Elise and a modified exhaust system from a motorbike complete the English-born rat rod which is known as the Monstrous E-Type.
Before purists start to boo and hiss about this customization, think about Richard’s choice when he found the rusty, incomplete body shell: the scrapper or an unconventional rat rod?
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