Speedster Debut - Salon Privé 2009
A remarkable event and a fabulous reception for our latest creation.
In the exclusive and lush surroundings of west London's Hurlingham Club, and with Champagne and Lobster in abundance, distinguished visitors were frequently overhead exclaiming how beautiful the Speedster is. Many stated it to be the best car at the show and media have described it as the 'Crown Jewel Of Salon Privé'. Praise indeed when considered that Aston Martin were debuting their latest £1.2 million supercar.
Martin Brundle added hugely to the occasion of presenting Dr Rick Velaj with his new car by very kindly handing him the keys in front of the assembled press. Rather appropriately the Speedster handover was conducted next to the very Silk Cut Jaguar in which Martin won Le Mans.
carsuk.net neatly summarised the event as follows;
" As we’ve already reported, Salon Prive is a must-go event for the car passionate. But even the none car passionate understand the love that people have for the iconic Jaguar E-Type. And no one knows more about making the E-Types fit for the 21st century than Eagle.
Eagle has been restoring and re-building Jaguar E-Types for 25 years. And a cracking job they do. From a simple (no such thing!) restoration of a classic E-Type, to a complete re-build with modern suspension and fettled oily bits, an Eagle E-Type is the very best way to enjoy a real classic.
But there are detractors, who say making a classic fit for the 21st century destroys the car. They say a classic car should be original in every way; ‘enjoying’ the patina of time and the engineering of its age. Poppycock! How many people who live in a glorious Elizabethan Manor House still throw their sewage out of the window? Do our disingenuous politicians still debate their expenses by gas-light? Of course not. They enjoy the fabric of the past with the technology of the time. And so it is with an Eagle E-Type.
And now Eagle has created the first E-Type Speedster, which was unveiled at Salon Prive on Wednesday. The Eagle E-Type Speedster has a glorious body, underpinned by the best on offer from Eagle, including a 4.7 litre engine upgrade, seriously fettled suspension and Eagle’s own five-speed ‘box.
The bodywork has been subtly enhanced, with the screen lower and more steeply raked, with hidden ‘A’ posts. The floor pan is lowered with deeper sills and a lower seating position, endowing the Speedster with a more purposeful stance. The rear decking has been extended and now contours around the seats. All this – and the extensive modifications to the engine and suspension – took 5,500 hours to complete. I guess the new owner – Dr Rick Velaj – who had the keys to his shiny new E-Type presented to him by Martin Brundle, has pretty deep pockets!
But what Dr Rick has is beyond price. An E-type that looks as if it was created in 1964 and sealed in a vacuum. But when you look deeper, you realise that this is the car Jaguar would have made if they’d had the budget – and technology – that Eagle now enjoys.
I’m sure it’s a joy to drive. You’re a lucky man, Dr Rick, to have the means and the style to have this car created. I’m driving a new Jaguar XFR this week. It’s a glorious car and exactly what Jaguar should be doing in the 21st century.
But there’s nothing like an E-Type. Especially one you can use every day. "
