Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding car was a zero emission Jaguar E-Type

KUALA LUMPUR: If you haven’t heard, read or seen about the great royal wedding which took place last Saturday, then you definitely must be in a coma or living under the proverbial rock. After all, it was a wedding to be remembered. Prince Harry went rogue and married a divorcee. But that was not the only news. The very sight of those uber luxurious Bentley Arnage-based Golden Jubilee State Limousine, the Mulsannes, Range Rovers as well as the Rolls-Royce Phantom IV cars in tow must have made every automobile enthusiast’s heart skip a beat. However, while these may be worth millions, there was one car that stood out. An electric blue Jaguar E-Type.

What’s so special about this Jaguar E-Type you may ask? For starters, the production of this car ended nearly half a century back. This is just the tip of the iceberg. This car is an electric model and was showcased last year at the Land Rover Fest. Jaguar Classic Works, JLR’s retro classic division had a big hand in restoring as well as adding the electric powertrain in the E-Type. The donor car is the famous 1.5 E-Type from 1968. While Jaguar Classic Works tinkered with the powertrain, they tried to retain the originality of this classic motor vehicle. The parts that weren’t subjected to any kind of change included the manual-- steering, roof, and windows. A rotary dial that modern Jags come equipped with replaced the old gear lever, a set of digital gauges to showcase the battery health and other details as well as LCD in the middle. After all, it’s a King’s Chariot or should we say future king’s.

On to the heart of the matter now. The electric powertrain in question is the 220kW electric motor that is ably supported by Lithium-ion batteries. A source claims that this powertrain makes around 300 PS in the Jaguar E-Type and since it is all-electric, there are no byproducts. The electric motor directs the power to the rear wheels.

The bummer? This car was probably lent to the royal family for the wedding or perhaps given as a gift. Jaguar’s mission to go all-electric by 2023 is on the right track it seems.