Jaguar World Monthly – November 2002

Sixties svelte by Paul Skilleter 

When it comes to uprating E-types, many people turn instantly to the 4.2. On the other hand, Lynx has just modified a 3.8-litre fixedhead and, as Paul Skilleter discovered, it has a lot to offer. 

There is general agreement that the original E-type Jaguar was, in its time, the world's best all-round sports car. In the early 1960s, one or two exotic and extremely expensive Italian GTs were quicker – just - in a straight line, a Corvette with all the options could out-accelerate it to l00mph, and there were some pretty two-seaters from France. But none of these presented a package that was not only beautiful but also practical as an every-day car in city traffic and continental touring, was affordable, could easily be maintained by local dealers, and was acceptably durable. 

No wonder, then, that the E-type has such a wide following today. However, while even a standard E-type copes remarkably well with modern conditions, a growing proportion of owners are opting to have their cars upgraded to make them stop, go and handle in a more up to date manner. The usual subject of these attentions is the all-round favourite, the ‘Series 1’ 4.2 roadster. But recently Lynx Motors International departed from this convention and waved its magic wand over the rarer 3.8-litre variant. Not only that, it was not an open two-seater but the less modified-fashionable - but arguable even more handsome - coupe.

When I arrived at Lynx to try the car, John Mayston-Taylor presented me with the car's full specification. The changes were numerous and included quite advanced work on the engine, suspension and brakes, yet the gunmetal grey car that stood before us looked virtually  standard – very much, in fact, like the fixedhead I used every day in the 1970s. The only clues to the upgrades which lay under those superbly contoured lines were a slightly lower stance and wider tyres at each corner.

Then it was time to get out onto the road and see how everything worked.

SLICK SHIFT  The cockpit felt familiar enough; snug, charmingly Jaguar 1960s, yet still satisfyingly functional. Slipping the T5 Borg Warner into first, we moved off. The car had covered only a few hundred miles and I did not take the Stack tachometer round to much more than 5,000rpm, and this only once or twice. The performance, though, was impressive and will surely be more so when the engine is fully run in. The 'fast' road cams give the usual uneven (but reliable) tickover and contributed towards slight engine/transmission shunt at low revs in higher ratios. Understandably with this car's extremely tall fifth gear, some vibration was felt when pulling away in top at under 2,000rpm, but the gearbox encourages changes so one soon gets used to more gear shifting than on a standard E-type.

The Borg Warner T5 box fitted is, of course,  generations ahead of the original Moss unit, but it's also very different from Jaguar's 'all-synchro' box used in the 4.2 E-type. This is pleasant enough, but by today's standards has a ponderously long movement of the lever. The T5, by contrast, has a tiny throw, more akin to a switch, and reminded me of a 1960's racing-car gearshift. It is slightly notchy and responded best to a firm, positive approach, which then allowed extremely rapid, clean changes either up or down. The gate is spring-loaded to the centre plane; the first four ratios are in 'H' pattern, with fifth top right and reverse below it. 

This particular car has a low, 3.54, final drive (the usual early E-type ratios are 3.31 or 3.07) which, along with four close-ratio intermediates, aids acceleration. On this car, Lynx has experimented with a very high, overdrive-style fifth gear ratio of 0.73:1. This, I found, acted very much like the four-speed- plus overdrive set-up of an XK, where you scoot through the gearbox then cut in the 'tall' overdrive. An even bigger drop in revs is noticeable on the E-type and this gap contrasts with the closeness of the four previous ratios.

Clearly, fifth is a cruising ratio - on mixed roads the car essentially is a four-speeder, although thanks to the torque of the XK engine, this is hardly a handicap. The bonus is that the very high top gear provides supremely relaxed cruising with just 2,800rpm giving 90mph.

The gearbox is generally silent but there's a just-detectable rattle in neutral; the diaphragm clutch (described as 'semi-competition') I found judder-free and pleasantly cushioned.

Handling gets high marks as the combination of good damping and those grippy Yokahamas banish what are, by today's standards, ridiculously low levels of grip from the original RS5 crossplies (and much better too than the 185 section radials used on the 4.2 E-type). The rear suspension features an update of Lynx's special rear subframe location. It's particularly effective as there was no trace of rear end steering.

Although it was in keeping with the 'fast-touring' ethos of this exercise, I was not altogether certain that the combination of moderately soft suspension settings and the Yokahamas was, however, the optimum one. To obtain the best synergy, I would have preferred either even harder suspension settings (especially at the front), or a less extreme tyre fitted. Indeed, John Mayston-Taylor agreed that the Yokohamas were not to everyone's taste, and that tyres could be supplied to suit the customer.

Overall refinement was good; I found the sports exhaust note a little obtrusive at low speeds (40 -50mph). However, this constituted a reducing proportion of the general noise levels at higher speeds, and was virtually inaudible to the occupants when cruising above 80mph - again making this car a wonderful long-distance animal. There was some wind noise around the windscreen pillars but generally the car was much more civilised than a roadster. The extensive heat insulation measures taken appeared effective, and while the transmission tunnel top became very warm, remember that on a hot day it would be almost too hot to touch on a standard car!

The biggest surprise of our exercise was perhaps the brakes. Having noted beforehand, with some mild trepidation, that Lynx had retained the original Kelsey Hayes brake booster, I found in practice that the response to the pedal was exemplary. Gone was the hard, unresilient and somewhat ineffective feel I have always experienced with standard 3.8 E-type brakes; instead, retardation was instant, nicely progressive and easily up to the rest of the car's performance.

So perhaps all these years we (or at least I) have been unfairly blaming Mr Kelsey Hayes when all along the culprit was Mr Dunlop Girling and his wheel cylinders. This is because when people upgrade a 3.8 litre E-type's braking system, they almost invariably throw away the Kelsey Hayes and fit a conventional booster along with uprated (Series 2 E-type) front wheel cylinders as on the Lynx car. But it appears that the original booster supplies all the right boost and it is the small wheel cylinders which are to blame for the 3.8 E-type's unimpressive brakes!

I left St Leonards with a genuine affection for this sleek coupe. It was not so far removed from the original to be a pastiche, yet it incorporated upgrades which allowed it to accelerate, handle and stop with modern day competence. It's a pleasant tribute to a great design.