A British car restoration company has unveiled a new model based on a 1950s Jaguar XK, which the company says offers a “full range of performance and comfort upgrades”.
The Jaguar XK European was built by Cirencester-based Thornley Kelham, who developed the car from an abandoned donor vehicle. It features a lightweight aluminum body with styling tweaks designed by Paul Howse, who contributed heavily to the design of the McLaren P1.
It is the first car to be produced as part of Thornley Kelham’s “European” range, which the firm says will feature “the ultimate incarnation of a number of European sports cars in the age of gold”.
The XK European is powered by an improved and redesigned version of Jaguar’s original 3.8-litre straight-six engine. It now features an upgraded aluminum radiator, redesigned vents and an oil cooler.
The engine produces 295 hp or 335 hp depending on specification and is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The original engine had a power of 160 to 200 hp.
Additionally, the XK European features a reworked suspension, with double wishbones front and rear, Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs and coilovers. Its base leaf springs have been replaced with four-piston discs, while the model also uses a limited-slip differential.
To incorporate the changes, the model was fitted with wider wheel arches, sculpted bodywork and wider alloy wheels.
A crease has been added to the bonnet that continues into the split windshield and onto the roof, while the rear has been reworked into an aerodynamic teardrop shape.
Inside, the dials are wrapped in leather, the dashboard is body-colored aluminum and the seating position has been lowered, improving head and knee room. Meanwhile, power windows, electronic gauges, air conditioning, power steering and Bluetooth connectivity are included as standard.
“Through our competition-winning heritage of restoration and our years of experience perfecting our bespoke Lancia Aurelia ‘Outlaw’ project, we have developed a team perfectly placed to design and engineer a car that reimagines automotive icons. authentically, in intricate detail and with painstaking attention to quality,” said Simon Thornley, co-founder of Thornley Kelham.
“The Jaguar XK European is, in our eyes, the finest car to date in the restoration industry, backed by expertise and experience in developing cars that are not just perfect in their finish, but exciting to drive. own and drive.”
The first commission for a European XK is already underway. Prices for the model are £550,000, excluding the costs of finding a donor car. The company says the full restoration process takes over 5,000 hours and production numbers are “strictly limited”.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-14 07:01:25