The Eagle Lightweight GT is a magnificent reimagining of a British icon

[SOUND] You'll probably hear it first, a familiar ex Gay Straight six undertone, but with so much more volume and edge. [SOUND] Maybe you then catch a glimpse of it and a glimpse is all you need. To recognize such an iconic shape, yet, this one looks somehow subtly better. But surely you can't improve on an E type, can you? Well, Eagle thinks you can and I'm inclined to agree. [MUSIC] This is Eagles new lightweight gt a very special modified restoration that pays homage to the 12 e type lightweight racecars of the early 60s Like previous Eagle specials such as the speedster glow drag GT. This is not just a facsimile of the original design. Every line on the aluminium bodywork has been sympathetically reworked to give a smoother yet more muscular appearance. There is extra rake on the bespoke windscreen. The seals are hidden The doors are frameless, the indicators are flush and the cells are lower. It all comes together with an attention to detail that makes it seamlessly into something that is almost too bewitching, the beautiful to drive. But be driven it definitely should be because you need to make use of what is under the bonnet. Eagle has fitted its own all aluminium 4.7 liter engine With a wide angle head, big valves and for this race inspired road car, triple Weber carburetors, the numbers are 380 brake horsepower and 375 pounds of torque, which is ample when you consider this car really does live up to the lightweight part of its name. In this spec it has had the proverbial magnesium kitchen sink thrown at it. There are lightweight wishbones tubular drive shafts in canal manifolds. A titanium exhaust and magnesium is used for the gearbox differential housing some and hubs. The featherweight cherries on the slimfast cake are specially developed aluminum spinning nuts on the magnesium wheels. All in, this car has a dry weight of just 1,017 kilos. But Eagle hasn't forgotten the GT part of the name either, this is no stripped-out racer inside. The interior's just fantastic, all the When the switches, things like this, just feel gorgeous. Such a quality to it. [BLANK_AUDIO] This headlining, so soft. The seats have improved over the years as well. These are the best ones I've sat in of any of the Eagles. They're just But you're the exactly the right sorta angle and they're really comfortable as well, but they hold you, nicely, when you get into the corners. That long bonnet. does. Feeling [UNKNOWN] Bad into the corners feels like a really what a big car because of that long bonnet out in front of you. In fact, tiny rarely, but just is so low and so long. It looks bigger than it is. The original geometry on the tie was designed around cross my ties. And although they weren't around for very long in the life From the time they stuck without geometry, so they didn't never make the most new radial tires. So that was one of the things that Eagle did very early on. This is good omens downturns and they are fantastic. The ride on this is quite busy and low levels and then it just gets into that state at a certain speed where you feel that it grieves with the roads. But when you fail, they get into that happy place. [BLANK_AUDIO] This is the best of the Eagles special editions that I've driven certainly. It just feels so much more precise. [BLANK_AUDIO] Sense exactly what the contact matches doing. I feel happier driving [MUSIC] [SOUND] Is that much harder Because you're sitting pretty much on top of the rear wheels, it makes sense in the levels of traction that much easier when you're pushing on. It also tends to exacerbate any feeling of oversteer because you're that much further from the point that the car is pivoting around. Of course as well as the looks, the suspension the other big part of this car is the engine is wide angle ahead 4.7 liter aluminium block engine. But I think for me the biggest part of his character Concern probably comes from the three Weber carburetors. So normally Neagle uses SU carbs they have done fuel injection as well. At SU whilst they give a more rounded feel that very good, you're giving a very cultured feel to the engine. Lots of lovely toe, very smooth. The web is Well, they're appropriately race unit really, whoever was founded almost a century ago in 1923 in Italian company. Now they're actually made in Spain and has been for almost 30 years now. And what makes them special is you get or you get the six chokes or twin jokes. So you can just feed more areas Now harder to achieve. I have more of a distinct Power bank and they can be a bit sort of grumpy around idle or lower revs, but they still want a lovely amount talk loud out and then when you get into the distinct power band well [SOUND] Lot of noise [SOUND] The juxtaposition of spelt, suave, smooth looks, and I don't like dirty sound from the titanium exhaust. It's like somebody in a beautifully tailored Savile Row suit belting it out. Wrong, bad or something. [NOISE] And that idea of a civilized race car gets to the very heart of where this Eagle interpretation differs from those competition originals or Jagger's own continuation columns. Talking of competition. [BLANK_AUDIO] The Jaguar E type, lightweight, got its reputation as a fearsomely fast race car. From that place down there, Goodwood not strange enough because of its antics, impaired. It never won the RSC TT or terrorists trophy in the 1960s. But in 1998, the Goodwood revival was launched and they had the RSC TT celebration. And the lightweight II type one, the first one with Nigel corner and Barry Williams driving. It was the second one to use Nigel corner. And Mark Hales this time. In fact, at one, three of the first four and 10 of the first 20. So, that's really I think where it's reputation is the preeminent. Race car with its genre comes from the resto mod of Corvettes. Fitting really. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [SOUND] In neutral logic you just hear the gears rattling. It's just like it's like a g, g three or G three Rs. Already like that is that mixture of Road car and race car in this one that's really really evident. That blend of road and track becomes more evident the more miles you Do you realize that it's really keen engine and the lower it's happy to sit at lower revs the way it responds to the throttle help on the whole cars lack of inertia Means you're always being encouraged to keep reaching for that power band, which kicks in at a very attainable 3600 rpm. So it feels like you can make the most of it more often. And then you think the thing that always sticks with me about eagles and particularly this one, I think is that they feel so solid is perhaps the wrong word given that they're lightweight but strong, I suppose. That's the feeling that I get from these staring is meaty, all the responses are lovely and welcome. Connected. [SOUND] This gauge shift is obviously very intact. [SOUND] So that You can see there's a long way across from seconds. After that, it's a real, throw it across the game, like that. [BLANK_AUDIO]. The other thing I hadn't expected about, being here is actually how, area would feel. I've always thought that, because this obviously has a much smaller sorta. [SOUND] Pawn shop is various in the low janky pays, it might feel a bit claustrophobic but the glass house around here is wonderful that wraparound rear screen means it have this lovely sense of space in here. And as you can see, I'm tall I'm nearly six or 500 About plenty of headroom as well. [BLANK_AUDIO] It's slightly a case if you have to ask I think Eagles always been pretty cagey. But for something that's so beautifully built, and let's face it rare This is the only one in existence at the moment. And there are only seven low drag ggs seven speedsters in existence. I think you're lucky It's fair to say it's a lottery win. Probably all six balls Well, just five and the bonus Is it worth it? Well put it this way, when you look at a lot of modern supercars with similar price tags, I think this stacks up very well indeed. [SOUND] This [INAUDIBLE] straight drives [INAUDIBLE]. Your eyes over that long bonnet events. This is wonderful. [SOUND] [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]