By the early 1960's the D-Types were thoroughly outdated and the E-Type (or XKE) was in full production. These steel bodied cars were soon seen on the race track, with several notable successes being scored by privateers. These successes prompted Jaguar to begin development of lightweight racing versions of the E-Type - no doubt influenced by the fact that Ferrari had won the 1962 GT Championship! A milestone in Jaguar's re-involvement in racing came with the development of the Low Drag Coupe in 1961 and 1962. Please follow this link for more information on this important car and Tempero's history of its modern day re-creation. The Low Drag Coupe led to an all-alloy version of the E-Type Roadster which was officially dubbed the "Special GT E-Type" but soon became known as the "Lightweight". Plans were made to produce eighteen of these cars but in reality only twelve were made. These were modelled on the production Roadster and were manufactured completely from aluminium, including the monocoque tub, body panels, bonnet and doors, although the production steel engine frames were retained. They were also fitted with a distinctive aluminium hardtop with a vent in the rear to help ventilate the cockpit. The subsequent history of these twelve cars is well documented and can be found in many of the excellent publications available from Jaguar historians. Suffice to say that the Lightweight E-Type was often faster and more reliable than other genuine production vehicles such as the Corvette and Cobras, but was no match for the pure-racing Ferrari GTO's. The Lightweight cars performed creditably during 1963 and 1964 in races such as Le Mans, Sebring, Silverstone, Goodwood and Nurburgring, but by the mid-60s had reached the end of their development potential and were only to be seen in local club events. In recent years the Lightweight E-Type has become recognised as a significant milestone in Jaguar's racing history. With only eleven cars remaining (one being destroyed at Le Mans in 1963 while being driven by Roy Salvadori), their values have sky rocketed until they are now nudging the million US dollar mark. At Temperos we recognise the significance of these cars and are re-creating the two major versions, the Lightweight E-Type Roadster and the Low Drag Coupe. Click here for the Low Drag Coupe information. Jaguar's Lightweight E-types were designed purely for the race track and as such were very fragile, with the light 18 gauge alloy being prone to cracking in stress areas. This was acceptable for a car that was only meant to last from race to race. However, at Temperos intensive development has gone into building extra strength into the monocoque and other weak spots by the use of heavier gauge aluminium sheeting and extra reinforcing in critical areas. The small weight penalty is more than offset by the famous durability and toughness that is built into all Tempero cars. Click here for more XKE Roadster Information