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THE ENEOS 2JZ-POWERED E-TYPE JAGUAR IS A THING OF BEAUTY, UNLESS YOU ASK A JAGUAR FAN.

Published: 2023-11-01 16:01:34 Last Updated: 2023-11-01 17:26:57

Faruk Kugay is one talented chap, as is evident when you look at this build that he created for SEMA 2k23. The professional drift racer and car builder works out of his DevSpeed Motorsports outfit. Luckily, the man has great contacts and so he managed to get support for the project from Japanese oil giant, ENEOS. There were three cars at the show with ENEOS backing, but this restomod is the one that we’d chuck out money at without a second thought. The ENEOS livery on the car is a nod to the Japanese patron, and it suits the end product perfectly. Restomods are one of our favourite kinds of builds, there’s not much as cool as seeing an iconic classic car that’s been updated with modern components and materials to bring it into the future and adding in safety that old cars lack, but all the while still retaining enough of the project base to keep the car as instantly recognisable as a fully restored version. In this case, the story starts with a 1969 Jaguar XKE 2+2, which was quite the car back when bell bottoms were the order of the day. In OEM form, these sleek Jaguars were fitted with a normally aspirated inline six with a capacity of 4.2-litres and they were rated at a decent 181 kW with 275 Nm of torque. Back then the car was capable of a top speed in excess of 240 km/h. That’s decent even by today’s standards. Of course, this is a restomod, and the mod side of that phrase alludes to modifications, which in this case comes in the form of a motor swap.

Linking to the Japanese benefactor, that motor swap came in the form of one of the most iconic Japanese engines in existence, the 2JZ-GTE. ENEOS has been supplying lubricants for these powerplants since they were factory-fitted decades ago. This may, nay, it will annoy purists in bowler hats so much they may even spill their cuppa tea. As you’d expect for a SEMA build, the 2JZ has had a bit of a fiddling session and so it features a factory-new cylinder head, larger Deatschwerks fuel injectors, CP Carillo forged conrods and pistons, a Link G4 Fury ECU, a full Nuke Performance fuel system, a Vibrant Performance intercooler and of course, the boost maker in the form of a Borg Warner EFR 8474 turbo. The experienced Kugay reckons this setup is good for a decent 550 kW, or 750 hp in weird speak. Charlie’s Customs in the UK was consulted for advice on the rest of the build, and with their suggestions, the Jaguar received a BMW E60 rear subframe, suspension and differential. To harness the power from the new engine setup, another BMW component was fitted - a 5-speed ZF transmission sourced from an E36 M3. With their chunky OEM gears, these ‘boxes are perfect for these conversions. A 3D scan by Adam Bao at Illumasthetic saw some cool new arches 3D-printed for the bodywork, but they were coated in carbon fibre by Vinny’s Autobody in Sonoma before fitment. With the haunches sorted out, the custom-built 17-inch Rotiform STL wheels could fit. The wheel design was inspired by the original E-Type Lightweight wheels. The interior features Tillett seats, Schroth harnesses, an OMP steering wheel and an OBP pedal box and foot panels.

Take a look at the YouTube video from Faruk Kugay, the ridiculously talented man who was tasked with this amazing build with help from Japan's largest oil company, ENEOS. We just love that he took a sought-after classic 1969 XKE 2+2 E-Type Jaguar and fitted in one of the most iconic Japanese performance engines with zero regard for purist rage: 2023 SEMA Show ENEOS Jaguar E-Type Build - Episode 1 | Faruk Kugay

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Article Tags: News SEMA 2023 SEMA 2k23 SEMA Restomod 2JZ 2JZ-GTE SXdrv E-Type Jaguar ENEOS