ECD Auto Design Unveils an E-Type Like No Other – The Jaguar GTO

The ECD Automotive Design Series II Jaguar E-Type is a bespoke reimagining of the iconic British sports car, blending vintage design with modern engineering. Featuring a hand-built body, refined suspension, and a performance-tuned engine, it maintains the classic E-Type silhouette while delivering contemporary drivability. With custom craftsmanship throughout and subtle upgrades like improved cooling and modern amenities, this vehicle offers an analog driving experience elevated for today's roads -- equal parts heritage and innovation. GNW

Article content

The Bridgewater GTO Commission is a bespoke, open-top grand tourer blending Series I–III lineage, D-Type cues, and modern performance

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

KISSIMMEE, Fla., June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ECD Automotive Design has unveiled its most ambitious creation yet: a Jaguar E-Type GTO, a bespoke, open-top grand tourer built from the ground up for a private client under what is now known as The Bridgewater Commission.

Article content

Article content

View images and video of The Bridgewater Commission

Article content

Article content

This one-of-one vehicle, dubbed the Jaguar E-Type GTO, represents a new vision for what the E-Type could have become — a handcrafted, performance-focused grand tourer inspired by Jaguar’s motorsport history and the spirit of 1960s-era homologation specials.

Article content

In ECD’s naming convention, “GTO” stands for Grand Touring Open — a performance-built, open-air configuration rooted in classic design and elevated for modern driving. This Jaguar GTO is the first of its kind: handcrafted, analog, and unapologetically bespoke.

Article content

“This is the Jaguar GTO that never was — but always should have been,” said Scott Wallace, ECD Co-Founder and CEO. “The Bridgewater Commission challenged us to look beyond restoration and build something entirely original. We weren’t just honoring Jaguar’s history — we were evolving it.”

Article content

Article content

A Vision Reinforced by Industry Praise

Article content

ECD’s bold reinterpretation of the Jaguar E-Type has already garnered national attention. In a recent Forbes feature titled “Test Driving The ECD Automotive Design Series II Jaguar E-Type”
(June 12, 2025), automotive journalist Peter Nelson praised the marque’s craftsmanship and performance focus:

Article content

Article content

“In a word, it was heaven,” wrote Nelson. “I’ve driven modern Aston Martins and Lamborghinis with 12 cylinders at their disposal, but this was different… This thing had drivability and thrill — two traits that are often at odds in old sports car fare — in spades.”

Article content

Article content

Handbuilt in Coventry. Reimagined by ECD. Powered by Passion.

Article content

The Jaguar E-Type GTO’s body was formed in Coventry, England — Jaguar’s spiritual home — by heritage metal craftsmen who shaped its long-nose bonnet, tapered tail, and functional louvers with inspiration drawn from the Series I E-Type and racing-spec D-Type. Its proportions evoke classic endurance racers, but every line is reinterpreted for modern presence.

Article content

ECD completed the build in Florida, fitting the bodywork over a custom-configured Series II chassis and installing a Jaguar V12, rebuilt and tuned by Team CJ in Austin, Texas — one of the foremost Jaguar performance shops in North America. The engine is mated to ECD-developed fuel injection, a modern cooling system, and a bespoke center-exit twin-pipe exhaust that delivers more than 400 bhp.