Marco Diez’ Jaguar E-Type Low Drag Coupe
May 2020 • By Tony Thacker
If ever a sexy sports car came out of England it was the Jaguar E-Type known in the US as the XK-E. Designed by Malcolm Sayer and based on the Le Mans-winning D-Type, the E-Type was introduced in 1961 with a claimed top speed of 150 mph and a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.9 seconds. It was proclaimed the fastest production car in the world and Enzo Ferrari apparently called it “the most beautiful car ever made.”
Under the E-Type’s long phallic hood sat a 3.8L 230 ci dohc straight six fed by a trio of SU carburetors; it produced 265 bhp. It was a sexy beast both inside and out and celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Tony Curtis and Peter Sellers snapped them up.
The E-Type had potential and in 1962 Jaguar embarked upon what they called a ‘Low Drag Coupe’ (LDC) in the spirit of the D-Type. They built but one car with lightweight aluminum panels, a raked windshield and a deleted interior. The side and rear glass was replaced with Perspex and the engine was tuned and upgrade with a wide-angle cylinder head. The first and only factory LDC car was sold and Jaguar developed the ‘Lightweight’ roadster meanwhile, Sayer and Dr. Samir Klat built their own LDCs. It is a car around which legends are born.
Enter Los Angeles-based designer Marco Diez and his own LDC project ‘OWL226’ because of its California registration. Built in collaboration with FastCarsLtd.com of Redondo Beach, CA, and UK coachbuilders RSPanels.co.uk, Diez’ LDC was eight years under construction with every ducted, louvered and scooped aluminum panel being hand formed.
Under the forward-flipping hood resides running gear inspired by the original including a 3.8L straight six by CrosthwaiteandGardiner.com (C&G) of Buxted, England. C&G specialize in remanufacturing new historic competition engines, most notably Jaguar D- and Lightweight E-Types and this Weber-fueled engine produces 380 hp by means of a unique ram-air intake—quite a bit more than the original.
Once all of the bodywork had been completed the rolling shell was shipped to MicksPaint.com, Pomona, CA, where Mick’s team meticulously prepped it and applied the stunning PPG Atomic Silver. “Being British, Marco’s Low Drag Coupe is very close to my heart,” said Mick Jenkins, “and it was an honor to be involved in this unique project.”
From Mick’s is was back to Fast Cars Ltd., for final assembly that included an interior that was almost entirely custom-made due to the car’s unique dimensions. From bespoke gauges, custom seats and a custom roll bar with integrated headrests to the custom-machined steering wheel and one-off air conditioning system, the car is a wealth of fine details.
“Unveiling this car at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering was the culmination of nearly a decade’s work,” said Diez. “I believe Jaguar’s Low Drag Coupe is the one of most beautiful automobiles ever made, so to take inspiration from that and make it my own is a dream come true.”
