Chip Foose is world-renowned for his automotive restyling vision and execution. He has built some of the most iconic hot rods that we have ever seen, with multiple awards to back him up. And while he mainly rebuilds American classics, we were surprised to see that he had entered the sport compact class for the SEMA 2020 show this year. Luckily, it was not a Honda, Subaru, or any other popular cars of today but rather a classic 1974 Jaguar E-Type.

While this 1974 Jaguar E-Type might look original to most people, it has many custom touches that might go unnoticed.

Now, let’s be honest here. We don’t know much about this car. The Foose rendition looked great at first glance, but we had no idea what modifications had been performed. And that’s what makes Foose so great. He’s able to take a car and build off the design, making subtle changes without getting away from the car’s core. After watching the video, Foose and his team changed just about the Jaguar. However, if you’re like us and are not familiar with the factory car and its lines, it’s hard to tell.

According to autoblog.com, the build took over 2.5 years to build, and nothing was left untouched. And while the car was displayed at SEMA last year, we never got a peek under the hood because the team had yet to finish it up. This year, however, we know that the original 272 horsepower 5.3-liter V12 was ditched in favor of a 525 horsepower 6.2-liter LS mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Another significant change is that the convertible top was ditched, making the Jag a roadster.

An American 6.2-liter 525-horsepower powerplant replaces the Jag’s V-12, which is sure to leave the purist fuming.

Foose did all kinds of custom work to this Jaguar. He added extended rockers, fabricated custom trim, rebuilt the hood with a custom scoop and reversed louvers, custom headlights, and tucked the bumpers. Even the exhaust system is unique with subtle curves. Foose loves details and couldn’t help but do a custom interior for the car, leaving the factory gauges.

Just about everything on this car is custom, including the trim, bumpers, grille, and headlight bezels.

One of the most exciting aspects of this car is the wheels. In the video, Foose states that the owner of the vehicle wanted wire wheels. And while Foose has his own wheel company, they do not offer wires. So, he designed them to look like spokes even though they are 100-percent billet.

While the wheels may look like wires, they’re not. Foose designed a billet wheel to replicated the spokes for a unique look.

While the car may be out of our wheelhouse, we can certainly appreciate the design and effort put into this build. And while most Jaguar purists will think a stock one is better, we like this version. Especially with the 525 horsepower LS under the hood.