A stretched version of the E-Type Jaguar has been unveiled following a restoration project — which also saw it get a matching TRAILER.
The 1968 left-hand drive series 1 4.2 roadster was lengthened to give improved legroom, while the trailer was built by joining two E-Type rear ends together.
The modifications were at the request of American owner Paul Branstad, who wanted them so he can use the car to tour the US.
English firm Classic Motor Cars Ltd, who carried out the project, said the changes dramatically changed the drive of the car.
Boss Nick Goldthorp said: “It is phenomenal to drive. This is the E-Type that Jaguar Cars should have built. The extra space makes all the difference and actually alters the whole attitude of the car. This is something that we have never done before. Our client wanted the interior leg room of a Series 3 V12 E-Type but the aesthetics of a Series 1 car.”
The car was lengthened by four and a half inches, while the roof line was also raised by 1.25inches and the trunk lowered and reshaped to fit in a 20 gallon gas tank.
Owner Mr Brandstad has named the car the Kaizen E-Type, a reference to the Japanese word Kaizen which is one of Toyota’s founding principles and means to “understand the imperative to make continuous improvements for the best”.
He said: ”The stretched E-Type sits between the Series I and the subsequent vehicles produced after the merger and formation of British Leyland, when the design of the cars underwent several transformations as a consequence of cuts in production costs and the need for more space that resulted in the Series 2 2+2 and Series 3 V12.
“With nine inches more wheelbase, the 2+2 was too long to be beautiful, but the four and a half inches added to the Kaizen E-Type could make the car even more beautiful than the original Series 1 edition.”