Classic Factory Lyonheart K



The E-Type is almost certainly Jaguar’s most iconic vehicle ever. In fact the E-Type is probably one of the most iconic sports cars ever made by any manufacturer. And despite being over half a century old, the venerable E-Type has many dedicated owners and admirers all over the world. The only downside to the E-Type is that its age means its not exactly a reliable or practical daily driver, and its 50-year old engineering means its not as safe or comfortable as even budget modern sports cars.


Last year, the British company Eagle introduced an updated version of the E-Type called the the Eagle E-Type Speedster. This was essentially a restored and re-engineered original E-type built to a lightweight formula. The result was a car with classic style but contemporary performance.


Now another company has decided to have a go at reinventing the E-Type. Classic Factory, a Swiss design company, has teamed up with Swedish designer Bo Zolland to create the Lyonheart K. Despite being some sort of Scandinavian-Swiss hybrid design, Classic Factory say the Lyonheart K will be engineered and hand-built in Coventry, England – the same city where the original cars were manufactured.


The exterior design of the Classic Factory Lyonheart K is closely modeled on that of the original car. However there are numerous modern touches and updated elements – like the projector headlights and LED taillights. In general there’s a lot to like, and not much to dislike. However one fairly major design error is the large lateral air outlets just behind the front wheel. These have the effect of interrupting the car’s otherwise smooth and graceful curves. In addition they bear absolutely no relation to the original car.


The Lyonheart K’s bodywork is made from carbon fiber. This hides an aluminium chassis which houses a supercharged 5.0 litre V8 engine producing 542 horsepower and 500 lb-ft (680 Nm) of torque. The 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes less than 4 seconds, and the top speed is an electronically limited 186 mph (300 km/h).


If all that sounds good, then perhaps this might sour you on the car. Classic Factory are asking EUR 495,000 (US$ 654,000) for the Lyonheart K! And you’ll have to wait 18 months for delivery.