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The Jaguar E-type is already firmly embedded in the UK’s automotive national consciousness, but the launch of its successor – the F-type – has arguably made the classic 60s Jag even more sought after.

It’s possible to pick up a reasonable condition original E-type – one that shouldn’t have you calling your vehicle recovery provider too frequently – for about £60,000. That’s not far off the price tag of an entry level F-type. But while £60k may be a lot of money for an old sports car, you might be surprised to hear that some people are paying ten times that for a certain version.

One British company – Eagle – is offering “better than new restoration” E-types for a cool £650,000 – or more. But what could they possibly do to the car that adds the value of two or three houses to it?

The company’s 14 craftsmen literally take the old E-type apart – every little piece – and then rebuild it. In the majority of cases brand new parts are used for the rebuild; originals usually don’t make the grade. The rebuilt E-type comes with scores, if not hundreds of improvements, from a souped-up light weight 4.7 litre engine, to a special Eagle gearbox and meaty, up-to-date brakes.

It’s the attention to detail that really creates the eye-popping price tag. The original design by Malcolm Sayer is respected in every possible way, whether that relates to concealing the modern air conditioning system where the original heating unit used to be, or innumerable other details that remind you: this is still an E-type Jag.

With only 34 of these labour-intensive sports cars having been built, and with only a handful of highly skilled engineers working on the order book, the exclusivity of the Eagle E-type further solidifies the asking price. Of course, you could deny yourself the Low Drag GT shape, opting for the basic Eagle body – and thus bringing the price down to just…£300,000!