The Jaguar E-Type ranks among the most beautiful vehicles of the 1960s and arguably as one of the best looking cars of all time. Trying to create a modern version is a difficult undertaking because a designer has to balance updated styling while retaining what makes the original so special. The Sketch Monkey now undertakes the challenge and explains his reasoning behind making each tweak.
Focusing on the rear three-quarters perspective of an E-Type coupe makes this challenge a little easier. The Jag's long bonnet is its most distinctive styling feature, and this angle makes this far less visible. Instead, the rendering focuses on retaining the hardtop variant's pointed tail that comes from a downward sloping roof and upward arching lower section.
Updated F-Type in the works:
Modernizing the E-Type's shape involves removing old-fashioned elements like the wing mirrors and wire wheels. The taillights switch out the classic lamps for oval-shaped LEDs.
The Sketch Monkey makes the front end a little more angular by adding a crease behind the front wings. Rather than the upward-canted exhausts, the pipes now exit straight out of the back. Larger tyres wrap around bigger wheels to fill the rear wings.
The E-Type remains highly collectible, and examples with exceptional provenance can fetch millions of dollars. Jaguar has made the most of the continued popularity with projects like the E-Type Reborn project that brought 10 Series 1 examples back to factory-perfect condition.
Gallery: Jaguar E-Type Zero concept
In 2018, Jag announced E-Type Zero (gallery above) as a vehicle that looked identical to the original model but with an electric powertrain and LED headlights. The concept featured a 40-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery providing a range of over 170 miles. Acceleration to 62 miles per hour took an estimated 5.5 seconds. Deliveries of customer examples start in the summer of 2020.
Source: TheSketchMonkey via YouTube