Eagle Lightweight GT: the reincarnation of the E-type Jag
Jaguar’s classic E-type sports car has been reinvented for the modern age. The result – the Eagle Lightweight GT – is a thing of beauty.

Price: about £800,000; Engine: 4.7-litre, six-cylinder; Top speed: 170mph plus; 0-60mph: under five seconds; Power: 380bhp; Torque: 375 lb ft
Eagle, a small engineering company in East Sussex, is best known for taking classic Jaguar E-types and giving them a mild makeover, says Jeremy Clarkson in The Sunday Times. Occasionally, however, it “makes a car that stops the world”. Its Speedster was “the most beautiful thing made in all human history”. With this Eagle, “it’s done it again”. The Eagle Lightweight GT costs close to a million pounds, including the donor original on which it’s based, and that may seem a lot for a car that’s nearly 60 years old. “But the truth is, it sort of isn’t. It’s actually about 60 minutes old.”
This E-type is nothing like Jaguar’s original racers and nothing like the “continuation” cars the firm has made recently. It’s “civilised, even by modern standards”, and is no stripped-down racer but a “grand tourer, a leather-lined, air-conditioned long-distance cruiser”. The engine sounds glorious, with “just the right amount of Tom Jones noises – when… you get all those little crackles and pops – ooh, it does things to your hair”. And the interior “is a labour of love”. Once you’ve managed to clamber in you won’t want to get out again. “I just wanted to sit in there, for ever, touching stuff.”
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Eagle has made only around 60 cars over the last 30 years, but not for lack of demand, says Top Gear. Maximum production capacity is four cars a year, and each one takes around 8,000 man hours to create. This GT follows the E-type recipe, but “everything, everywhere you look, is bespoke. Think of it as commissioning a work of art, or investing in a family heirloom, more than buying a car”. Yet it is “so addictive in its manners and behaviour [that] all you’re going to want to do is drive it”.
Think of it as a classic car redeveloped with the benefit of hindsight, says Autocar – “this is the E-Type they’d have made at the time if only they’d known how”. The ride quality is remarkable and despite all the roaring and snarling from the engine, it’s quiet enough in the interior for conversation at 120mph. “Not that you’d want to talk, or even have company… it is a car in which to be entirely alone with your thoughts, that engine, the gearshift and its supple, indulgent and sensitive chassis.” For all its modern modifications, it’s not less of an E-type, but more.
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Nic studied for a BA in journalism at Cardiff University, and has an MA in magazine journalism from City University. She has previously worked for MoneyWeek.
-
Klarna IPO: how did the Swedish fintech perform on debut?
Klarna’s shares made a fast start following the BNPL company’s New York debut, but momentum waned later on. Should you invest in Klarna shares?
-
The 2% trick – how tiny pension top ups could add thousands to your retirement
A third of UK adults have increased their monthly pension contributions beyond the minimum, according to new research, putting them in line for a more comfortable retirement
-
Review: Puerto Rico – embrace the spirit of Boricua
Travel Natasha Langan discovers why the indigenous name for Puerto Rico has come to define this Caribbean island’s vibrant culture
-
8 of the best beachside properties for sale
The best beachside properties for sale – from an Arts & Crafts house in Hampshire with 128 metres of beach frontage, to a 16th-century house in Norfolk, just 300 metres from a Blue Flag beach
-
A voyage of discovery through the Baltic countries
Travel Max King explores the rich history, culture and cuisine of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
-
Are wealthy whisky enthusiasts leaving Britain?
Collectables Wealthy whisky enthusiasts are heading to tax-friendly countries such as Dubai, where there is more disposable income to spend on collectable luxuries like rare whisky.
-
8 of the best properties for sale with kitchen gardens
The best properties for sale with kitchen gardens – from a 17th-century timber-framed hall house in Norfolk, to an Arts & Crafts house in West Sussex designed by Charles Voysey with a garden by Gertrude Jekyll
-
8 of the best properties for sale with shooting estates
The best properties for sale with shooting estates – from an estate in a designated Dark Sky area in Ayrshire, Scotland, to a hunting estate in Tuscany with a wild boar, mouflon, deer and hare shoot
-
How to invest in the travel industry's boom as tourists get back on the road
The travel industry is in rude health despite uncertainty about the global economy, Trump’s policies and geopolitical concerns. Investors should buy in now
-
Review: an adventure through the Swiss Alps to Lake Como on the Bernina Express
Travel Louise Okafor stays at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland and the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Italy