Authentic looking E Type kit car

Authentic looking E Type kit car

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Jukebag

Original Poster:

1,463 posts

139 months

Friday 16th June 2017
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As some know, there were two versions of replica/kit car Jaguar E-Types, the Challenger and the JPR Wildcat. Yes the Challenger is superior to the Wildcat because of the use of Jaguar parts and running gear, allowing it to look as true to the look of a S1 E-Type roadster as possible, give a take a few noticeable differences like door handles, etc. However, a lot of Challengers (interior wise) just fail when it comes to replicating the period look of the dash, seats, centre console, instrument gauges, etc. Instead they often look quite kit car in style, probably done on the cheap using whatever spares and seats they can aquire. Same goes for the interior of many Wildcats I've seen. The transmission tunnel on the Challenger is noticeably much wider, and if you wanted to recreate the stylish look of the 3.8 model with aluminium dash it just wouldn't look right.

I've heard of Wildcats owners having spent so much and getting it look (exterior and interior) as authentic looking as possible, but they never do look very original to me. I suppose the extortionate prices for parts from the main suppliers (and ebay too; even on there you'd be paying £200 for a woodrim steering wheel), put most off this challenge. I would love to strip the interior out of my dads Wildcat and have the look of the 3.8 litre model, but the interior carpets alone would cost a fortune, pair of bucket seats would be about a grand, dash top probably a few hundred quid, etc. Probably cost about 5 grand in total.

Edited by Jukebag on Friday 16th June 14:25