Jaguar Egal set for comeback
The famous Galaxy-engined Jaguar E-type, known as the Egal, will be back on a UK race track in the near future after an absence of around half a century.
In the mid and late 1960s, the fearsome seven-litre one-off was raced by Chris Summers and Barrie Williams and proved to be a regular winner in club racing. It was later sold to a buyer in the US and only returned to the UK a few years ago. Since then, Chris Keith-lucas at CKL Developments has been restoring it to period specification and says there are plans to race it once more.
The car was originally built by Geoff Richardson for owner Rob Beck, and Williams recalled it being fitted with a Holman and Moody Galaxy marine engine. The E-type chassis came from a semilightweight car, shunted by Beck at Castle Combe. The result was a ferociously powerful car that ‘Whizzo’ Williams tamed with considerable success in club racing.
While in the US, the car was used on the road before starting a long restoration. The owner passed away before the work was complete, and Keith-lucas saw it advertised for sale.
“I went over to New York, saw it over there and verified it and then we brought it back,” said Keith-lucas, who has secured its original registration of ‘590 DXR’. “In America it grew even wider than it really ought to have, but apart from that it is very much the car, and close inspection of it reveals all the old dings and dents.”
It was taken to the recent E-type 60th birthday celebrations at Shelsley Walsh and did some demonstration runs.
“I’ve got the dyno figures where it has over 600 lb ft of torque, so it’s really an absolute monster,” said Keith-lucas. “We do have plans to run it. It is a complication because a car like this was never homologated. It did a huge amount of British club racing, but it didn’t do international events, so that limits what you can do. But there are a number of race organisers in this country who’d love to see it in their events.”