News : Jaguar to build F-Type Project 7

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The Jaguar F-Type Project 7, the latest model in the marque’s acclaimed F-Type sports car range, is set to make its debut at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed today.

The car is the first Jaguar performance vehicle from Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Operations division, and will be produced in an exclusive, limited-edition run of up to 250 units. Its distinctive roadster body, introduced in concept form last summer, pays tribute to one of the most famous racing Jaguars: the three-time Le Mans winning D-type, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The F-Type Project 7’s name pays homage to Jaguar’s seven outright Le Mans victories.

The 2014 Jaguar F-Type Project 7 is not only the most focused derivative of the award-winning F-Type range, but is also the fastest and most powerful production Jaguar ever built. The car is equipped with Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, now in 575PS/680Nm form, enabling the all-aluminium-bodied car – which weighs 1585kg – to achieve acceleration from 0-60mph in 3.8-seconds (0-100km/h in 3.9-seconds) and an electronically-limited top speed of 186mph (300km/h). The F-Type Project 7 is fully road-legal, with a removable roof and 196-litre stowage space.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through Jaguar’s eight-speed Quickshift transmission and second generation Electronic Active Differential (EAD). Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes, available as an option on the F-Type R Coupé, are fitted as standard on F-Type Project 7, offering powerful, consistent, fade-free braking. Another standard feature is Torque Vectoring by Braking (TVbB) which, working in conjunction with the EAD, enables extremely precise handling. Bespoke carbon-fibre aerodynamic aids and a unique suspension set-up enable F-Type Project 7 to deliver a truly engaging driving experience.

The F-Type Project 7 features performance-focused engineering by Special Vehicle Operations – the engineering and vehicle division of Special Operations – but its design has been kept true to the head-turning lines of the original Project 7 concept, which was unveiled last summer.

Key design elements include the D-type-inspired fairing behind the driver’s head, shorter windshield, new front bumper and downforce-increasing aerodynamic modifications – including a carbon-fibre front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and adjustable rear spoiler. However, the single-seater concept has been transformed into a two-seater, with rollover hoops for both driver and passenger now integrated into the design.

Ian Callum, Jaguar’s Director of Design, commented: “F-Type Project 7 is the perfect example of how, as a design team, we can move quickly with our engineering colleagues to go from concept vehicle to production reality – we’ve pushed the boundaries of what’s possible without losing any purity of form. Modern, purposeful and with a stance that screams intent, F-Type Project 7 is the perfect contemporary embodiment of the D-type that inspired it.”

Mike Cross, Chief Engineer – Vehicle Integrity, Jaguar added: “Above all – F-Type Project 7 is fast… It uses all the key technologies we’ve proven on F-Type R Coupe to deliver absolute immediacy of response to all driver inputs, yet its focused nature has given us the opportunity to go further still. The result is a driving experience that’s pure and involving in every sense.”

The F-Type Project 7 will be offered in five metallic colours: Ultra Blue, Italian Racing Red, British Racing Green (all with white decal options), Ultimate Black and a new colour, Glacier White (both with grey decal options) but Jaguar has not, as yet, made any announcement about the car’s likely price.

Clive Goldthorp

2 Comments

  1. Design is very much an individualistic thing, but looking at the picture of the F and D types, give me the D type. That design was so ahead of it’s time – beautiful.

  2. This news highlights there are some very exciting opportunities (and challenges) for the recently announced Special Vehicle Operations. Having read the interview with John Edwards in last week’s Autocar magazine, I view the role of SVO to be very much along the lines of Land Rover’s Specialist Vehicles division, Jaguar’s Specialist Vehicle Operations (and Saturday Morning Club which delivered the XJ220 in concept form) and Rover Special Projects from the late 1980s. At a less intense level, there is a potential sprinkling of MG Rover Group’s Monogram personalisation programme based on colour and trim. In other words, a diverse array of potential opportunities and services that could be offered.

    The F Type Project 7 is a great start and I hope we will see a lot more from SVO. Good luck to it.

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