Many vintage car enthusiasts would agree that speed isn’t the only thrill they get from owning a classic machine; it’s just as satisfying spending quality garage time tinkering away under the hood. That said, acquiring parts for classic cars is not always an easy task. Some good news for Jaguar aficionados is that Jaguar Classic has recently announced the reintroduction of the 3.8-litre XK engine block. Fitted to many iconic models of the 1950s and 1960s including the iconic E-type, the iconic six cylinder hasn’t been produced for over 50 years — until now.

The 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine originally powered the Jaguar XK150, XK150 S, MkIX, Mk2, MkX, E-type Series 1, and S-type. Jaguar Classic is now offering to recreate these cast iron engine blocks to the exact original specifications, but there is a catch: they’ll only be available to current owners of the above models, with documentation providing proof of ownership having to be supplied before they can get their hands on one of these brand new engine blocks.

One particularly exciting detail is that Jaguar is allowing customers to keep the same serial number from their original XK engine. The same number can be stamped on the new block with an asterisk to denote its replacement status, which should keep purists happy. The new 3.8-litre Jaguar XK engines are priced at £14,340 per unit, and hopefully, they’ll result in us seeing more vintage Jaguars out being driven and enjoyed in the near future.