The Helm Roadster is a 6000-hour Jag resto-mod
The most beautiful car ever made* may have just got its most incredible interior thanks to a 6000-hour long reinvention at the hands of Britain’s Helm Motorcars.
Helm adds all manner of 21st century touches to the E-Type, including LCD displays, soft-close doors and parking sensors, but it is the company’s partnership with Bill Amberg Studio that truly sets it apart. Amberg is a leather specialist and his craftsmanship is clear in the jet black hide of the car’s cabin. The leather and suede chosen are normally only used for high-end furniture and feature nods to English racing heritage in their detailing.
“Usually with a renovation project, you’re dealing with a flashy upgrade or else a faithful recreation of what it looked like when it first came out on the factory floor,” explains Amberg. “The idea was to create an interior for how the E-type could have been if the same attention was paid to the inside detailing, in order to match the iconic shape of the exterior. We’re trying to produce something that reflects the spirit of the car.”
Helm founder Chedeen Battick has been restoring E-Types for over ten years but this car is his most ambitious project to date. “I wanted to create the ultimate E-type: remaining sensitive to its history, but ensuring the drive, build and performance is as good as it can possibly be, using the finest materials and British craftsmanship combined with the finest standards of modern engineering, instilling a feeling of love, care and attention to detail within each component,” he says.
Only 20 Helm E-Types will be built and each will be supplied with a pair of Amberg’s lightweight Italian calf skin bags that can be strapped into the trunk.
We’ll be taking the helm of this extraordinary E-Type ourselves soon and will report back.
*Just ask Enzo Ferrari.
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The Jag interior really never was a bad place. This is a nice interior but I still can think of other things the car could be updated.
There have been a lot of stunning cars made – many of them since Enzo’s passing. Still. It may not be THE MOST beautiful, but even by today’s standards, it’s on the podium. As a young man when they first hit the scene (and who was more into hot rods at the time), I was totally taken aback when the E-Type graced my eyeballs. I immediately wanted one – and have never stopped in all these years. Doubt it’ll ever happen, sadly!
Why no closeup pix of the dash & seats? That’s where all the visual changes are.
I had a ’71 Series II coupe with tan leather interior. I loved the interior of that car. It had nice gauges, okay switches (Series I switches were more interesting), plush leather seats, real wood steering wheel, real wool carpets and very nice chrome trim. The pedals were a bit close together, but everything was right where you wanted it when you went squealing around a turn on those tall, skinny tires.
No NO NO!!!!!! This is Blasphemous!!!
Why mess with perfection?
That motor is very pretty. I’m sure it’s super expensive for this car.