First drive in the electric Jaguar E-Type from ECD Automotive Design: A welcomed upgrade

Just over a year after my last visit, I recently got the chance to visit my friends at ECD Automotive Design down in central Florida and take their latest EV conversion – the all-electric Jaguar E-Type for a spin. As always, there were tons of new and exciting happenings at ECD, as it continues to learn, grow, and delve further into electrification.

If you haven’t heard of ECD Automotive Design, you should look it up. It’s arguably one of the best one-of-one vehicle builders in the industry and continues to grow its customer base because of the quality, service, and level of customization it provides.

Last week, I got to visit the company’s HQ near Orlando for the third time, and let me tell you – every time I return, the group over there is improving, expanding, and experimenting with new things. That’s a huge key to ECD’s growth in the last decade, coming from one single industrial bay to a new 100,000-square-foot facility down the road it is already outgrowing.

The company’s founders have UK roots, so ECD was founded upon delivering top-tier, fully customized British classics like Range Rovers and Defenders. In recent years, we saw ECD begin offering its customers electric options, cleverly integrating Tesla motors and battery packs into the existing chassis and drivetrain.

In June of 2022, ECD announced plans for an electric Jaguar E-Type from the 1970s, available in a roadster convertible or a 2+2 coupe. When I last visited in October of 2022, I got a peek at the E-Type’s assembly line, as the ECD team was familiarizing itself with the classic before beginning to build complete and fully customized restorations.

Last week, I got to walk the assembly lines yet again to see the progress of the Jaguar E-Type builds – a majority of which are going electric. Furthermore, ECD had recently completed its first all-electric E-Type for a customer and I got to take it out for a spin and help with some quality control before it’s delivered. Here are my thoughts.

ECD’s Jaguar E-Type feels like it was made to be electric

Having visited ECD multiple times in the past, I knew the routine at this point. ECD co-founder Scott Wallace took me on a brief tour, focusing specifically on the E-Types because there are several currently being built, which is a completely unique process to what the custom auto builder is used to with its Land Rovers.

Wallace told me the ECD team initially thought it could transfer its build process from the Defender lines, anticipating a need for more knowledgeable staff as the key hurdle, but explained they got it wrong. It was the opposite. ECD’s talented workers handled the Jaguar just fine, but the building process is entirely different.

For instance, ECD had previously specialized in custom ground-up builds with the Land Rovers, using components shipped from the UK. The electric Jaguar E-Types on the other hand, are complete restorations – meaning ECD is acquiring entire vehicles around the US, disassembling them, sandblasting the usable parts, and building them back up as EVs. To this point, ECD says it reuses around 50% of the original car on each build, a process that currently takes significantly longer compared to the Land Rovers ECD has been building for several years.

Walking the assembly line, it was rather interesting how efficiently the electric motor and batteries fit inside the Jaguar E-Type, almost as if it were made to be electric – An argument I now standby having driven the roadster.

What’s even more interesting is that ECD’s electric configuration is a damn near match in weight distribution compared to the original V12 engine and transmission setup. So, the electric Jaguar E-Type drives nearly how its original makers intended, albeit with more torque and quicker acceleration. Wallace told me ECD would love to take credit for that design prowess, but it was merely a welcomed coincidence.

The drivetrain configuration consists of two batteries and a motor up front, plus a third battery pack in the trunk, combining for a total capacity of 42 kWh. Small by today’s EV standards, but remember – ECD is limited by the E-Type’s existing chassis.

Regardless, such a small vehicle can garner plenty of “oomph,” trust me. The drivetrain delivers 450 hp, while its batteries combine for up to 150 miles of all-electric range.

As you may recall, back in March, we reported that ECD was moving on from the refurbished Tesla motors and battery packs in favor of a new configuration from Ampere EV, enabling the custom builder to now offer its customers new features like 4WD, three different drive modes, creep mode, and finally… DC fast charging.

With this new drivetrain system, present in the electric Jaguar E-Type, ECD can deliver many of the EV technologies consumers come to expect today, even if their original vehicle was built 50+ years ago. So, how does an electrified E-Type drive? Well, let me tell you, my friends.

Test driving the E-Type

After my tour, it was time to take the E-Type out for a spin alongside ECD co-founder Elliot Humble. We did our usual route around the Orlando area I had driven several times before, offering areas of long open roads to see what the roadster could do. I was not disappointed.

While the new drivetrain system from Ampere is less powerful than the previous Tesla configuration, its other perks gained in return outweigh the loss. The regenerative braking is much smoother and more effective, moving closer to genuine one-pedal driving, but not quite yet. Perhaps next year (wink, wink).

Acceleration was a breeze. One that whipped my longer hair around into a voluminous helmet by the time we were done because of a very low windshield. Still, I immediately felt at ease behind the wheel of this EV, whipping around and overtaking several “slower” cars on the road – although, I did need to use my neck to check beside me and in my blind spots because the side mirrors on this car are relatively useless.

Before I drove, I sat down with ECD’s head of sales and design, John Price, who walked me through the design process of my own electric Jaguar E-Type. Surprisingly, when I returned from my drive, the ECD had assembled a mini replica to take home. I share this detail because it speaks volumes about the level of customization and customer service ECD puts into every one of its builds – from the first design meeting to delivery and beyond. Check out my work!

Overall, this was yet another insightful trip to ECD Auto Design, filled with inspiration and laughter. Every time I visit, I’m amazed at how much the company has grown – both in size and in know-how. As someone that tries to improve and optimize his own life daily, I’m always impressed at how ECD can do it at such a scale and do it damn well.

That work has paid off as well. ECD’s success has caught investors’ eyes, and the company intends to go public later this month following a bell-ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. It is a huge milestone, but this company must maintain its small and scrappy attitude toward its one-of-a-kind builds, and it knows that. Let’s hope corporate America doesn’t kill the magic. My money’s on ECD (not literally… at least not yet).

I’m already looking forward to my next visit, especially since the company has given me a sneak peek at what’s next in its pipeline. I can’t say anything publicly yet, but it’s an exciting next step. Expect another visit in the future, but until then, check out this detailed look at ECD’s new electric Jaguar E-Type: