Jaguar’s sensational F-Type Project 7 makes it public debut this weekend at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed and a limited production run of 250 vehicles has been confirmed.
The roadster pays homage to the three-time Le mans 24-hour race-winning D-Type which celebrates its 60th Anniversary this year. We love the fairing behind the drivers’ head, outboard-mounted matt-black ceramic exhausts and the short windscreen and there are modern aero elements too such as the carbon-fibre front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and adjustable rear spoiler – the combo delivering 177 per-cent more downforce than the F-Type convertible.
Jaguar says the F-Type Project 7 will be the first vehicle from its freshly-minted Special Operations division and it is destined to become the leader of the F-Type range. Unlike the original single-seat Project 7 concept car, the road-going version is a two-seater.
Power comes from enhanced version of Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 with 423kW/680Nm V8 and driving through Jaguar’s eight-speed Quickshift transmission and second generation Electronic Active Differential.
All of this propels the all-aluminium 1585kgs roadster from zero to 100km/h in the true supercar time of 3.9 seconds. Part of the weight saving comes from a bootlid made from carbon-fibre.
Wheels are 20-inch ‘Storm’; alloys in gloss black and the brakes are made from a Carbon ceramic Matric material. Underneath are height-adjustable dynamic dampers.
Inside are lightweight race type seats (four-point racing harnesses are optional), carbon-fibre veneer inserts, machined aluminium gearshift paddles and an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel.
Australian plans? No word from Jaguar Australia.
