1962 Jaguar E-Type “EGAL”
The 1960s saw the birth of a lineage of V8 swapped “hot-rods” and specials such as the Shelby Cobra or Sunbeam Tiger, in the midst of which came the crazy Jaguar E-Type “EGAL”. Brainchild of Rob Beck and Geoff Richardson, both accomplished racers and engineers, the EGAL was the unlikely marriage between a Jaguar E-Type and a Ford Galaxie 7 litre V8, the name a portmanteau of both models.
The pair had previously handled a heavily modified XK120 which proved to be “the fastest XK ever”, however by the 1964 season, Rob and Geoff decided they had plumbed the depths of the Jaguar powerplants they had been hopping up and considered their next step. Having gained experience in the art of (and clearly gained a taste for) fitting oversized American engines in small British builds by experimenting with a 3.5L Buick V8-engined Cooper Formula Junior car in 1963, the pair set their eyes on a V8-engined E-Type project. Without further ado, a NASCAR spec Ford Galaxie 427ci engine was secured from famous State-side race preparers Holman & Moody producing in excess of 470 bhp, and they acquired a healthy, used drop-head E-Type - chassis 850450.
Their next challenge arose – how to drop 7 litres of American V8 into a narrow nest of space frame tubes intended for a modest 3.8L straight-six? While the top tubes of the space frame assembly had to be modified in order to create a cradle large enough for the engine, the rest was relatively simple according to Richardson’s account of the project and “gelled rather better than expected”. The original Jaguar gearbox was even retained, which was mated to the engine via a new twin-plate Borg and Beck clutch also used on Shelby Cobras. Unsurprisingly, the Jaguar radiator and header tank was insufficient to cool an engine of nearly double the size. A new Gallay radiator and oil cooler were fitted, along with a revised bonnet featuring 250 GTO style air ducts making the car ready to race!
The car’s first outing was at Silverstone for the Nottingham Sports Car Club mid-summer meeting, where it won both the sports car and Formula Libre events. Fantastic footage of the EGAL is also available on file showing the car battling it out (and winning) against two Ferrari 250 GTOs at Castle Combe later that year. Both Rob at the wheel and Geoff in the pits were remarkably pleased with the project’s reliability and performance, despite the Jaguar brakes having a very hard time slowing 470hp and 1200kgs of E-Type down from speeds of up to 150mph around Britain’s tight and twisty tracks. The EGAL was raced by Rob week in week out throughout its early career, but he soon decided to hand driving duties to F3 veteran Barrie “Whizzo” Williams. Barrie’s experience in rallying also made him the perfect match for the ever-so drift-prone EGAL, still earning the team wins and podium at various races and hill climbs around the country until 1968. By then, the EGAL was slowly but surely becoming uncompetitive, losing out mainly on braking as the Borrani wheels that were fitted at that time limited the size of the brakes that could be used.
The EGAL was put aside, and then sold in 1972 to Bob Kerr of Loch Lomond, Scotland, who had the car mounted on wide JA Pearce alloy wheels and continued to race her at local Hill Climb events such as Doune Hill Climb with new-found traction and braking power! After passing through the hands of Tom McCallum, the car made its way to the USA in the late 1980s where it took part in a number of vintage racing events at tracks such as Watkins Glen and Laguna Seca. During that time, the EGAL engine was bored out to 8,5 litres, churning out more than 650bhp and 605 b ft of torque… no wonder gentleman racer/owner Warren “Woody” Southwell reported that his beloved EGAL “surprised the GT40s I had to run with on the straights!” The EGAL remained in the USA until 2018 before being returned to the UK by her current owner and appropriately handed over to Jaguar expert Chris Keith Lucas at CKL Developments to be prepared and run.
The car was back at British hill climb events at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Shelsley Walsh in 2021, more than 40 years after her last appearance this side of the Atlantic! This E-Type “special” nicknamed “EGAL” is a unique opportunity to own possibly the craziest E-Type of them all, whether it be intended as a week-end adrenaline-filled country-lane basher or a purposeful historic racer!
