Jaguar has marked 75 years of sports cars its way; the aftermarket is doing things a little differently
By Matt Bird / Tuesday, 31 October 2023 / Loading comments
With the A80 generation of Toyota Supra now 30 years old, and its legendary 2JZ-GTE engine first appearing in 1991, it would be easy to think we’ve seen all the engine swaps by now. All the 1,000hp builds and all the supercar shaming quarter miles. Turns out we haven’t – not by a long chalk. Say hello to the 2JZ-engined E-Type.
Created by Eneos for this week’s SEMA show, the twin-turbo Jag continues a tradition established by Japan’s largest oil company that began with an S2000-engined BMW 3 Series. They call it taking Europe’s finest vehicles and combining them with ‘Japan’s finest engineering’. Which is why last year’s event saw Eneos present a 911 GT3 with flat-four Subaru power. By that standard, perhaps the Supra-engined E-Type isn’t so crazy.
But it isn’t a standard 2JZ swap – oh no. This is SEMA, after all, and the E-Type has been built by professional drifter Faruk Kugay and DevSpeed Motorsports. So the straight-six has been upgraded with stronger pistons and rods, larger injectors and a new fuel system in preparation for the really good stuff: a Borg Warner EFR 8474 turbo and Vibrant Performance intercooler. 750hp is forecast…
Interestingly, there’s some UK involvement with the build, Somerset-based Charlies Customs having been consulted on a rear end capable of handling the power. Having done something similar themselves, they recommended the subframe, suspension and diff from an E60 BMW 5 Series, with the five-speed manual from an E36 M3. Just in case it wasn’t enough of a Frankenstein.
All of this meant there could be no issue with hacking away at the body – this was always going to be a long way from a standard E-Type. But credit where it’s due, taking inspiration from the Lightweight race cars for the arch extensions means it still looks pretty rather than just a pumped-up race car. The 17-inch Rotiform wheels were also chosen for the classic look, with Bridgestone RE-71 RS tyres ‘to ensure the Jag was equally at home on the road or track’. Certainly looks like it will be. And even if the purist in you disagrees, it’d surely be quite hard to resist a go if offered. 750hp, in an E-Type, built by a race team? Yes, please.
This isn’t even the wildest thing Eneos – an oil company, remember – is bringing to Las Vegas. There’s also a Nissan 350Z powered by a pair of Honda turbo engines (!), as well as what’s being called a ‘neo-vintage’ Land Cruiser pickup. All to help promote its new 0W-8 oil for hybrids. So make sure you buy plenty of that – gotta make sure Eneos is back in 2024…
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