Here at Classicfabs we always strive to manufacture Classic Jaguar manifolds and exhaust systems to the very highest standard, and to constantly improve our service, but innovation is also one of our core values.

Part of the inspiration for our latest innovative system lies in owner Jimmy’s memories of travelling to college in Glasgow from his home town, which sat high above the city and the Clyde valley. Every day he would take his seat on the top deck of the bus and be amazed at the sight of the smog that hung in the far distance, the tops of the multi-stories in the city the only things visible above the gloom.

Thankfully things have changed since the 1960s and ‘70s as far as smog is concerned, but there is still a growing concern with the level of air pollution especially in the cities, and how much toxic gasses from vehicle exhausts contribute to it. This is why Classicfabs decided to look at designing a system using ‘non-engine management’ type catalytic converters – to help classic-car owners be part of the drive to clean up the air we breathe.

Watch a video with a before and after test of the Classicfabs Catalytic system on an E-Type

Classicfabs Catalytic system under test

The Future is Clean

The Future is a Classicfabs Classic Catalytic Converter

Fresh clean air is not something we can afford to take for granted these days, particularly as the World Health Organization calculates that more than 90% of the world’s population now suffers in some way as a result of ‘toxic’ air. As the owner of a classic Jaguar that has never had the benefit of emission controls (they were never a consideration when these cars were built, except in California) that fact should make you consider how your car’s emissions affect the air you breathe, your local environment, other people’s health, as well as the global effect.

There are over 9,000 classic Jaguars registered in the UK and if they averaged two thousand miles a year, they are producing serious amounts of NOx (Nitrous Oxides), along with CO (Carbon Monoxide) and HC (Hydrocarbons) every year entering the atmosphere. When you expand the picture to all pre-1990 vehicles with no emissions controls registered in the UK, of which there are over 100,000, that adds up to a huge amount of these gasses polluting the air we breathe. Expand it again to Europe and worldwide, and the number of polluting historic vehicles is huge (around a MILLION in Europe alone). Like many in the classic car industry, we do not believe this is something governments will overlook, and in the future we can expect those emissions to be either taxed or measures taken to force a reduction in emissions from such cars or limit where they can be used.

Where do classic Jaguars fit in all this? As they have no emission controls the amount of ‘Health Damaging’ toxic gasses they are producing compared to modern cars is substantial especially around reduction in Nitrous Oxides (Nox).

So, short of selling your pride and joy, is there anything you can do to be part of the drive to improve the environment for future generations? Well, you might be surprised to learn that you can reduce Toxic gas emissions without resorting to a Tesla.

Here at Classicfabs, we have developed a system that can reduce your health damaging and polluting Nitrous Oxides by an average of 60%, Hydrocarbons by an average of 53% and Carbon Monoxide by an average of 18%. Following eleven months of design, development and back-to-back testing to confirm benefits and savings, (TO THE ENVIRONMENT) and in collaboration with Taylor Automotive in England we now have a Patented ‘non-electronic’ catalytic converter for Classic cars that can achieve the levels of TOXIC exhaust gas reduction shown above.

This system is not available from any other manufacturer. Classicfabs have the Worldwide Rights for exhaust assemblies using these converters in ‘historic/non-cat’ cars.

Our testing has been done using a 5 Gas OIML Class 1 emissions analyser, similar to that used for MOT testing. The test car was a standard 4.2Ltr. E-Type with a recent engine rebuild and an efficiently tuned standard engine and exhaust. This produced the following “Non-CAT” results. Then the Classicfabs CAT was fitted to the same car with our standard Long Manifold and two inch straight through exhaust system. The results were averaged over multiple conditions and test points.

In part of the test, we showed a 100% reduction of NOx at 30mph and 50mph

The above tests are not comparable to current MOT testing as the testing was focused on more real-world driving. The MOT test only looks at idle and raised idle, our testing was completed on a rolling road under load. Though the HC level with the CATs fitted are below the raised idle level required for the post 2002 manufactured cars.

  Available for all Classicfabs E-Type, MK2, XK systems and to fit to standard OEM cast manifold systems.

These systems have the following benefits:

1. No loss of performance. (Note)

2. Reduction of approximately 18% in CO emission. (Carbon Monoxide.)

3. HC (Hydrocarbons) reduced by an average of 53% 

4. NOx (Nitrous oxides) reduced by an average of 60%

5. Almost Complete elimination of fuel ‘smell’ from the exhaust.

6. No electronic wiring necessary.

These catalytic systems can also be retrofitted to any Classicfabs existing exhaust system and to standard OEM systems from cast manifolds, these will be available from December 2020.

NOTE : The results also showed a significant increase in both Torque and H.P. when the standard 1.75” system was replaced with the Classicfabs Long Manifold system fitted with the CATS. Power 181HP@4370rpm to 195HP@4630rpm and Torque 243.82lbft@3240rpm to 265.49lbft@3220rpm.

We are also planning other versions for different ‘historic / classic cars early next year.