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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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