Jaguar’s most powerful production car ever pays homage to the past, while dropping hints about the future.
If you think you’ve come down with a case of déjà vu, there’s no need to worry. You have seen this car before in concept form, as 2013’s Project 7 Concept. One year on, and with the enthusiasm of the public and potential customers, Jaguar has decided to put the Project 7 into limited production of 250 units.
Outwardly, the ethos of the car harks back to the past: the handmade carbonfibre and aluminium body takes inspiration from the legendary D-Type racer of the ‘50s, while its name is a reference to the company’s seven overall Le Mans victories.
Yet, underneath the skin, the Project 7 offers a peek into the near future; its 5-litre supercharged V8 produces 575hp, 25 more than the recently launched F-type R Coupe. This makes it the most powerful Jaguar road car ever (yup, more powerful than the jaw-dropping XJ220 supercar), but I would not bet against this engine re-appearing in a future F-type R-S, possibly with even more power.
For now though, those 575 rampant horses (or feral cats — whichever you prefer) are enough to see the Project 7 dispatch the century sprint in a scant 3.9 seconds, helped no doubt, by its 80kg weight advantage over the regular F-type Roadster. Even more impressively, the Project 7 musters up 177% more downforce than the Roadster at their (electronically limited) top speeds of 300km/h. This is achieved thanks to its aggressive new front bumper, carbonfibre splitter, diffuser and rear wing, and of course, that prominent hump behind the driver’s seat.
In addition to the bump up in power, Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Operations division has seen fit to give the Project 7 a bespoke suspension setup with adjustable dampers (and increased front camber for eating up corners), carbon-ceramic brakes, torque vectoring to complement the electronic differential, and recalibrated software for the Adaptive Dynamics and stability control systems. Smoky burnouts should be a cinch.
With such a limited run of cars, the chance of you seeing one in the wild will be pretty remote. But fret not, because you’ll have a chance to see and hear it in all its thunderous glory, when the Project 7 takes on the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb.
