Eagle Low Drag GT E-Type Restomod! First Drive Review 6 Feb 2022
Finally, welcome back to another episode of Restomod's. Arguably we have one of the most iconic Restomods of them all … the Eagle Low Drag GT.
In this line of work, I have had the honour to drape my eyes over some really sexy machinery, but when this turned up and rolled in here, I took an hour to walk around it before we turned on the cameras – just to appreciate it’s shape.
It is really important to state at this stage that what Eagle do is take an original e-type. They are not a new car manufacturer. This is a classic e-type, but it’s fondled and fettled and involved to tweak, dare I say, any imperfections in the original car to result in the thing which I am stood next to right now.
It might take me planting an original standard e-type next to an Eagle for you to fully appreciate the difference. It is a classic case of something that is much greater than the sum of its parts. The evolutions are small, but the details are inherent.
Before we take it for a drive, we are going to get under this bonnet and discover the magic under there, as well as the interior, the exterior, and then head out to immerse you in a 4.7 litre naturally aspirated straight six from a Jaguar e-type.
The colossal bonnet pivoting from the front of the nose of this car is something but behold the detail! What is significant about this is the low drag GT has had a lot of weight saving applied to it. We’ll talk about the magnesium wheels shortly. Importantly the engine block is an aluminium block, there is even magnesium components in there as well. There are some options on this car which are very bespoke to what the client would like: the power of the engine, the paint, the interior. One option is to have more conventional carbs, so this is running on SU carbs, or you can have a fuel injection system which Eagle will disguise for you. On this car, we are running authentic old school carbs. You have got to hear these things, the way that they actuate and the sound that you get from it is absolutely stunning.
This car is all about the attention to detail, but still being true to the ethos of the original car. It is not like you would lift up the bonnet on this and think that it is an unrecognizable platform. This is very much an e-type, but every surface, everything has been milled and polished and distilled into something that is really beautiful, tightly packaged and stunningly presented.
I quite like the juxtaposition of the Ram air intake made in carbon fibre, so there is a blend of old and new just to iron out any of the problems which came with an original 60s e-type. Like starting and stopping, and not breaking down in the rain!
Let’s highlight some of the cooler upgrades, for want of a better word. The radiator is substantially beautiful and substantially upgraded. These cars could end up anywhere in the world, particularly hot climates and you want the reliability there. On the topic of cool, not only aesthetically, but functionally, the manifolds on this are Inconel – that is straight off formula one car stuff – which is connected to a titanium exhaust system.
Looking at the suspension, they have tweaked the geometry of it to work well with new tyres. When the e-type was developed, it was on cross-ply tyres and now they are running the more modern-day radial tyres, so the geometry is tweaked to work with new tyres. It is also lined up through an o-lens suspension system which is also adjustable, and that is fitted both front and rear.
Then, there is something you wouldn’t think of as being cool at first, which is the lightweight lithium-ion battery. If you compare it to your standard car battery, it is much more compact and lightweight, but it also has a clever little brain in it, meaning if this car was to be left for several months – which these kinds of cars often are – it will never let itself drain completely flat. It has a little cut off brain in it that knows it’s going to stop energy depletion at a certain point. When you come back to the car, there will always be enough in it to turn the car over and get it started again.
The interior is where it really gets beautiful! Shamefully, we don’t have smell-o-vision right now, but take my word for it, it smells absolutely gorgeous. This is one of Eagle’s customer cars so we’re going to be very respectful when we take this out on the road. It is important to mention that because each one of these cars are built specifically to the customer’s request. Eagle don’t just build these cars – everything has been meticulously thought through by the client to their spec. The interior is tastefully matched with the exterior. There is a beautiful soft green leather, and up the top there is an Alcantara headlining with gorgeous, padded fluting.
One of the beautiful things about this car is the placement of the pedals which has perfect heel to toe placement. The diameter of the wheel is definitely smaller than in your standard e-type, but it still has a thicker rim, and maintains that wooden finish that is synonymous with the classic car. Then you’ve got the switch gear: a lot of this has been repurposed to suit functionality of the car which might not have originally existed, like heated screens front and rear. That’s one of the more practical elements added to these cars – allowing you to live with them or take them on a journey. The styles are reconditioned, restored, original e-type dials, and I say this quite often, but I don’t think the camera can do this car justice. It is something to behold!
Every now and again, when we are lucky enough to film a modern classic or a Restomod on this channel, the first that comes to mind is: is the way forwards, backwards?
What I mean by that is, modern-day super cars, and listen, if you follow the channel you will know they float my boat, but the more rules and regulation that get applied to these big OEM brands, the more sedate those cars become – the more safe they become. At the same time, the performance and the speed become unbelievable to the point that when they are on the road, their operating window of performance is such that you can’t get anywhere near it. If you do get somewhere near it, you are either going to be in prison or through the bush! When you take them on the track they begin to drop off after a while. There are exceptions to that like the Porsche GT3RS – that is a phenomenal road and track car, but every now and again you want to be in something refined. You want to be in something that is going to give you that feedback and engagement at road appropriate speeds, and that is what is mean by: is the way forwards, backwards?
This car is the epitome of that statement – it is something that you drive, and every little bit of your interaction dictates how the experience of the drive goes: the rev matching, the gear shifting, letting the engine and components warm up on these more conventional carbs. Everything about it is such a beautiful experience.
Cars like this, their greatest party trick is being fabulous, even at road legal speeds. One of the primary reasons for that is you know how beautiful and how cool this car looks, and you are happy to just be in it!