driving while dreaming: the Jaguar Growler E 2011

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After I win the Mega Millions lottery, I'll need a new car. Dark blue, if it comes in blue.

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“Pricing depends on production, hand-made cars may cost between 750,000 and a million euro each ($1,036,441 to $1,381,922). If small series production is started, the price may be around 500,000 euro. The very first car will cost a lot, lot more.”

CarAdvice (high-end automotive site)
Wednesday 23 February 2011

2011 Jaguar Growler E 
celebrates original E-Type

by Brett Davis

This has got to be the sexiest car we’ve seen so far this year. It’s modelled on one of the most iconic and best-looking British sports cars of all time: the sensuous Jaguar E-Type of the Sixties. 

Enzo Ferrari once said the original E-Type Jag was “the most beautiful car ever made.” Now there’s a remake well-worthy of carrying that badge. Meet the Jaguar Growler E 2011.

To help Jaguar celebrate the E-Type’s 50th anniversary, an enthusiastic Swiss businessman decided to fund this rather exquisite project which was then put together by Bo Zolland, from Swedish design studio Vizualtech, and Robert Palm, an independent Swiss designer.

At first impressions you can easily tell this is one thorough piece of work that compliments the original E-Type in every way. It’s almost impossible to imagine that underneath that sexy body sits a current-generation Jaguar XKR. The rear of the Growler E swoops down and back, taking full inspiration from the original model, including the ‘hourglass’ curves and the large flat rear window.

Meanwhile, at the front, the grille presents a modern take on the wide-open ‘catfish’ mouth of the original, including the segmented bumper bars. Although the more traditional one-piece headlight design has made way for a circa-1990s twin-headlight layout, we think it works very well and accentuates the grown-up character.

Even the bonnet has been designed to mimic the original classic, complete with horizontal vents and hinged like a giant clam shell from the nose. The space between the front wheel arches and the start of the doors is long and designed to replicate the classic, but it’s also filled with heat-extracting vents for that modern touch.

Underneath the bonnet sits the same 5.0-litre / 305 cu inches supercharged V8 featured in Jaguar XKR. Power figures haven’t been finalised yet, but designers say the engine will be tweaked somewhat. So instead of outputting 375kW it will produce more like 448kW. Now that would certainly make for one of the fastest road-going E-Types around.

Designers say the Growler weighs a lot less than the XKR donor car too, thanks to the use of carbon fibre sections in the chassis and aluminium components. All up, changes are said to have provided a weight reduction of around 200kg. Weighing around 1550kg / 3417 pounds in total, the Growler E is expected to achieve 0-100km/h / 62.1 miles/h in under 4 seconds.

The performance is quite something, but it’s the attention to detail that we love. Even the multi-spoke ‘wire’ wheels with the chrome spindle locking nuts, chrome bumper bars and tiny chrome mirrors represent the original E-Type Jag down to a tee.

Pricing for the Growler E hasn’t been announced yet. Unfortunately, production isn’t even confirmed. However, the designers say that if there is enough demand, they will produce a small series of them which will be hand-built. Fingers crossed.
 

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