There’s nothing more treasured when it comes to classic cars than originality. It is the best bargaining chip when you want to sell on an old car, while from the other perspective, it means cutting a great deal as a buyer is far trickier – the closer it is to the way it was when it left the factory, the deeper you will have to reach into your pockets.

However, there’s nothing wrong with subtle improvements to an old motor, particularly if one plans to use it every day. Sure, cars like the Jaguar E-Type or XKE in the US were not bad daily drivers to begin with, but still not on par with modern cars.

Jay Leno recently had the chance to check out one of these sleek Jags that has been very tastefully modified, in order to suit the character and requirements of Jason Len from XKs Unlimited, a company that restores, modifies and provides new custom parts for the iconic model.

In this case, the most important mods are the dropping of the floor, in order to make more room inside, the alloy hood and the very visible side exhausts. Inside, there is more padding on more of the surfaces, while a racecar-esque wheel with steel prongs and a thick leather-wrapped rim has replaced the old thin wooden steering wheel.

It’s quite a nice classic sports car that also features front original fog-lights, which neatly integrate into the car’s nose, as well as old fashioned tuning for the classic 3.8-liter inline-six that powers it. Jaguar said the car made around 230 hp when it was new, and could do 150+ mph, but as we all know, those were rather optimistic claims. The car featured in the video below has an honest 300 hp, which is sent to the slightly wider rear tires – it’s a nice classic sleeper in my book.

By Andrei Nedelea

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