Chip Foose’s custom Jaguar E-type stuns onlookers at SEMA

The design of the Jaguar E-type is timeless and beloved, but that doesn’t mean ol’ Chip Foose can’t give it a dash of something a little extra. One particular customer wanted a classic ‘74 E-type roadster like none other, and Foose Design spent 2.5 years bringing it to life before revealing the project at this year’s SEMA show.

“Revered in its stock form, the concept is to build upon that legacy of subtle elegance and create an understated, yet high-performing, two-seated gentleman’s roadster,” reads the description on Foose’s website.

There’s no question this Foose-ified Jag is unique. The design, engineering, and fabrication process included a stretched trunklid, extended rocker panels, redesigned headlights with brass bezels, flattened taillights, as well as a bold-looking hood scoop, grille, louvers, bumpers, huge wire-look chrome wheels, and a brash Magnaflow quad exhaust. Inside, the Foose team kept it a little more restrained, but the presentation is totally fresh and the package includes a new dashboard and pedals. The analog gauges and wood-rimmed steering wheel remind you this is still, after all, a vintage Jag.

The soundtrack, however, is all-American. Instead of the original V-12, Foose dropped in a 6.2-liter LS3 Chevy V-8 making 525 hp and paired it with a GM 4L60-E four-speed automatic transmission. (If you think that’s blasphemous, Chevy V-8 swaps into Jaguars are nothing new and can be lovely, indeed.) On top of the new powerplant, the Jaguar benefits from suspension and brake upgrades to lend some modern driving dynamics.

With its splashes of chrome all over and its dazzling “Palm Copper” paint, there’s no question this is a gentleman’s roadster without parallel. No doubt the owner is thrilled with the Foose team’s painstaking work. And if you want to see some outstanding details from the build process, check out the gallery below.