Jaguar gives “the most beautiful car ever made” an electric upgrade

In 1961, the Jaguar E-type was labeled as one of the best looking cars of all time. Even Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car ever made.” Now Jaguar has turned the retro E-type into an electric car, which the automaker calls the E-type Zero.

The most beautiful car, ever - the "new"
E-type Zero, it's all electric.

To create the E-type Zero, Jaguar started with a 1968 Series 1.5 Jaguar E-type Roadster. Its six-cylinder combustion engine was then swapped out for an electric powertrain with 295 horsepower. Its lithium-ion battery pack has the same dimensions and weight as the original engine and it’s even placed in the exact same location as the former transmission.

Read the Inhabitat story by Marc Carter - “Jaguar gives “the most beautiful car ever made” an electric upgrade.”

Jaguar embraces its electric future by resurrecting its past

APOLOGIES TO ELON, but the world has a new ruler when it comes to combining electric propulsion with beauty. Because this week, Jaguar Land Rover unveiled the E-type Zero, a battery-powered revival of the classic 1960s sports car that none other than Enzo Ferrari called the most beautiful car ever.

Jaguar embraces the new, resurrects the old.

The sad news is that the car—which carries a 40-kWh battery pack, offers a range of 170 miles, and goes from a standstill to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds—is just a concept, rendering those specs meaningless. Jag says it will “investigate bringing this concept to market,” but whatever it decides, it’s guilty of a bait and switch here.

For the automaker (and, ahem, the journalist), the shiver-inducing thought of an electric historical classic offers a tidy segue into news of Jaguar Land Rover’s future: The automaker also announced this week that by 2020, it will offer an electric or hybrid variant of every model it makes. The shift will start next year, when the Jaguar’s first fully electric SUV, the I-Pace, goes on sale.

Read the Wired story by Alex Davies - “Jaguar embraces its electric future by resurrecting its past.”