Road Test: Eagle Speedster
Car enthusiasts are often urged not to drive their heroes, but who could decline the chance to get behind the wheel of the legendary Eagle Speedster?
WORDS: Sid North | PHOTOS: Dom Ginn
It was the summer of 2011, a time that feels so long ago, partly because I’m a millennial and mainly because it was nearly ten years ago. I remember myself as a 14-year-old, reading car magazines and gazing at photographs of BMW 1Ms oversteering within the white lines of a Welsh B-road. I’d regularly watch motoring journalists on YouTube demonstrating the chassis balance of a Porsche 911, and then attempt to mimic it on my sim-steering wheel while playing Gran Turismo 5. And of course, my Sunday evenings would feature three of TV’s most famous presenters on a BBC Two car show that you may have heard of. Like some of you car nerds, these were the important things in my life – even more important than girls – especially when one evening that summer, I watched Jeremy Clarkson celebrate the Jaguar E-Type on that aforementioned motoring show. It was a car I knew of but never paid much attention to, until he explained why he thought it was one of the greatest sports cars in history.
During that segment of the show, another E-Type was introduced, except this one was lower, wider, and sexier. Jeremy himself said that it was, and I quote, “the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen,” and I couldn’t help but agree with him. As a teenager who longed for a gen-1 Audi RS3 or an AMG-Mercedes, I was quickly converted. The car in question was the Eagle Speedster and it immediately became my background picture on my PC for quite some time. Soon after, my mind became occupied with hopes and dreams of one day being able to drive it, so I too, could make a film and write an article about this beautiful car.
Nearly a decade on and things have changed. I get to do what I absolutely love, which is drive cars and make films about them. The goal has always been to make the car the star of the content, and I decided that I would like to make the Eagle Speedster the star of one my videos. It was time to live out my teenage automotive fantasy.
I’ve always been taught that, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’, and despite considering the car out of my league – a few friends of mine even laughed at me for thinking about it – I took the leap of faith and dialled the number for Eagle E-Types. I was put in touch with the main person who was responsible for the car’s technical design work, and after exchanging a few emails, I was given the green light. Yep, this young, stupid yobbo from Essex was going to get behind the wheel of the world’s most stunning resto-mod classic. My jaw dropped when I realised, I was going to get the opportunity.
Let me give you some background on the company. Eagle E-Types was founded in 1984 by Henry Pearmen with the goal to restore and modernise Jaguars to a standard that was better than when they first came out the factory from new. The Speedster was born by a request from a customer who wanted something a bit special.
You can go for factory tours around Affalterbach and Woking which are clean and cool, but then there’s Eagle’s facility. A humble countryside location with barns and a handful of staff that are friendly and deeply passionate. Walking around the facility and going through the process of how a donor E-Type is slowly brought to life with endless hours of passion, love and craftsmanship is an experience.
That’s why these cars command a £600,000 asking price, because of the depth and quality of the work that goes in to them. I was told that the fortunate people who buy them, sadly don’t have the time visit Eagle E-Types and watch their new Speedster go through the production line. What a shame! To feel the joy of seeing your own special car being built before getting behind the wheel is surely something that’s not to be missed.
Then there's the way it drives. In all honesty, I thought it was going to feel mostly like an E-Type modernised for the 21st century, and in some respects, it has those same ingredients, but in the Speedster, they’re turned up to eleven! The 4.2 litre straight-six engine that you find in the original has been bored and stroked to 4.7 litres, the suspension has also been updated and so have the brakes. Plus, Eagle make further upgrades to the differential and gearbox. Not one Speedster is ever the same in specification, nor will it be produced in volume as the company firmly believes in exclusivity, and rightly so.
Dynamically, it’s a combination of everything old and new in the best possible way. For starters, the steering is heavy off centre but loads up nicely at speed with a tremendous amount of feel. The engine is a power house. It has torque in every gear at every rpm, and there’s a slight reward in performance when you rev it out. But the main reward is that glorious noise - none of that pop and bang mapping, thank you very much. Just a lovely, sonorous, growling six cylinder that howls as the revs progress. The soundtrack dominates the driving experience and puts a never ending smile on your face.
Blasting through the switchback lanes of Beachy Head, the chassis feels light on its feet thanks to its 1,008kg kerb weight, and you get a lovely sense of connection of the rear braking away into controllable oversteer. The AP racing brakes deliver superb feel and stopping power. It’s a car that enjoys being pushed and can be driven with enthusiasm, without it breaking a sweat.
But the most impressive element of the Eagle Speedster is its breadth of ability. With a handy driver behind the wheel, I have no doubt that it could keep up with the latest and greatest BMW M3 on a mountain road, but it’s also relaxing and forgiving which makes it feel special all of the time, whatever the weather. They say never meet your heroes and I have driven some disappointments - Aston Martin Vanquish and Escort Cosworth to name a couple. However, it’s safe to say that this time I met a hero, one that I lusted after as a teenager and I’ve not been left disappointed by. I’ve spent two wet and cold days behind the wheel of the Eagle Speedster and I loved every second of it. Is it worth that £600,000 asking price and sitting on a waiting list for 2 years? Absolutely!
Without wanting to sound cliché, the Eagle Speedster was everything that I imagined it to be and after returning the car, I spent the next few hours gazing at it while enjoying my late afternoon tea. It was at this moment that I started to feel sad. It was like finding the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with, only for them to leave you before getting the chance to get to know them. That is how much of a lasting impression the Eagle Speedster leaves on your memory. The team at Eagle E-Types have done an impeccable job of taking one of the most iconic cars of the 20th century, and daringly transforming it into something which will go down in automotive history as an icon of today's century.
Technical Specifications
Engine: Straight-six, naturally aspirated
Displacement: 4,693cc
Power: 330bhp @ 4,800rpm
Torque: 360lb ft @ 3,600rpm
Transmission: 5-speed manual, RWD
0-62mph: <5.0 secs
VMAX: 160mph
Kerbweight: 1,080kg
Price: £600,000+
10/10
Rating
“Dynamically it’s a combination of everything old and new in the best possible way”
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