The esteemed Vintage Racecar Trader that can’t help but designing.
We have discussed Nick Soprano before. Nick is a well-regarded collector-car broker, former racecar driver and avid collector of very high profile automobiles. His unassuming workshop in Westchester always holds some incredible treasures of rare classic and famous racecars. Nick is one of those thoroughbred enthusiasts that eventually had to build his very own car, the SENSUALE.
Having driven and raced such an incredible amount of iconic motorsport history, Nick’s mind constantly thinks about design and engineering solutions, while he is fully enthused by a passion for timeless design of the golden automotive era of the 1950s and 60s.
A big majority of enthusiasts in the Vintage-Jaguar world considers the very first E-Type, the Series I, as the most beautiful of them all. Often, in the lifecycle of a particular sportscar model, as technology improves, new technology elements are added to the original design and cars subsequently tend to become bigger in dimensions and heavier in weight. At times they grow wheel arches to accommodate wider tiers, need extra grills for more cooling or added spoilers for less drag and more downforce. Just think of the very first iteration of the 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400, compared to the last LP5000 QV in 1990. Or think of the first Aston Martin V8 from 1973, compared to the last V8 Vantage Volante with gigantic spoilers and valances all around in 1989.
For Jaguar the transition was particularly dramatic with the advent of the (now) famous V12 engine, replacing the legendary straight-six that had brought Jaguar so much fame in racing with the C- and D-Type Jaguars, from which the E-Type derived. Today this particular straight-six-era of Jaguar racing fame is so far in the past that I personally cannot remember it. Best I can do is recall playing as a boy with a red toy-E-Type, which was my favorite car. What I do remember much better however was the awesome V12 engine that arrived in 1971 and did so much for the entire company.
Because back in 1984 my dad had a black Daimler Double-Six with this glorious 5.3 liter V12 engine, producing close to 300 brake horse power. It looked pretty much exactly like her late royal highness Queen Elizabeth’s (pictured above), which was recently sold at auction through RM Sotheby’s. I practically learned driving in that car. The engine was just perfect for very fast cruising on the German Autobahns I grew up on. But best of all, you could usually drive away from all the domestic big Mercedes and BMWs that would repeatedly try to put a “Jag” in its place, on the fast left lane of the Autobahn, but never could. That was a lot of fun. For 17 years, Jaguar was the only company in the world consistently producing luxury four-door saloons with a V12 engine.
But I digress. Back to the E-Type: The V12 was a pretty big engine, no way around it. Arriving in the E-Type in the early 1970s it made the car a few inches longer and wider. The greater power changed aforementioned wheel arches, increased the radiator grill but – worst of all – it basically destroyed the most beautiful fared-in headlight design. That was a real shame. Now, Nick Soprano, who loves to do long vintage car rallies out West, also prefers the timeless original E-Type Series I headlight treatment – but he also really loves an effortless V12 under the hood. Naturally, he decided to amalgamate the various design elements into one car. In a wider sense of the word, he restomoded a 1974 XKE V12 Roaster but he did it with style – and a ton of it.
You best listen to his story in his own words and watch our video, here:
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His resulting motorcar is rather sophisticated and really something for the connoisseur. The first time you look at the car you are not quite sure of what you are actually looking at. But once Nick talks you through all the details your jaw just drops. Particularly the engine, that naturally is now much “hotter,” is just a piece of art. The bank of Webbers are a feast for the eyes – and, once fired up, for the ears as well.
But for me, his master piece is the redesigned front end that not only incorporates the fared-in headlights of the Series I. This E-Type’s nose lost the bulky blinkers and side repeaters as well and Nick also eliminated the very prominent chromed seams that usually run the whole length of the hood, connecting it to both fenders, from the windshield all the way down to the headlamps. If there ever was one weak design element – even on the Series I – it was those seams. Now the long hood is one giant piece of clamshell. Gorgeous! Just like it used to be on the C-Type, the D-Type and even the racing prototype E-Type.
Get on board with us and check out Nick’s story, in our lates mini-doc one very special and rare sportscars. If you want to experience the car first hand and “in the metal,” you can get in touch with Nick here and look at all his other offerings here.
Text, Production and Video by Alexander Davidis , cinematography by Bico Stupakoff © by DFMedia 2024
