The Jaguar E-Type is widely considered one of the most beautiful cars ever made, right up there with the likes of the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and the Lamborghini Miura. As you can easily tell, this isn’t your ordinary version of the stunning British sports car since it has received a controversial makeover. Built by DevSpeed Motorsports for the 2023 SEMA show, the radically transformed E-Type is at Eneos’ booth in Las Vegas this week.
Japan’s largest oil company and supplier of motor oil and transmission fluids is highlighting this contraption based on a 1969 XKE 2+2. Purists will raise their eyebrows knowing the car is equipped with a 2JZ-GTE engine adapted from a Toyota Supra and fitted with a Borg Warner EFR 8474 turbocharger. Power is routed to the road via a five-speed ZF manual gearbox borrowed from a BMW M3 E36.
Stopping power is supplied by front brakes taken from a 2003 Chevrolet Corvette (C5) while the rear ones were sourced from a 2010 BMW 5 Series Sedan (535i, E60). The new/old brakes work with 17-inch Rotiform two-piece wheels wrapped in 225/45 R17 front and 255/40 R17 rear Bridgestone Potenza tires. Also taken from the Bavarian luxury sedan were the rear subframe assembly and differential.
To make room for those meaty tires, bulging fender flares were designed and 3D-printed before carbon fiber was added to strengthen the body panels. This Frankenstein-spec Jaguar E-Type has a wicked mélange of parts, including a custom front suspension, Silvers coilovers, a DevSpeed roll cage, plus a bunch of aftermarket interior parts: OMP steering wheel, Tillett seats with Schroth harnesses, and OBP pedal box and foot panels.
We’re being told this wild conversion has turned the Jaguar E-Type into a “hot rod for the street and track.” You can check it out at SEMA 2023 until Friday, November 3.
