The Jaguar Project 7, a limited edition F-Type, is not only one of the most powerful cars Jaguar’s ever made, but it is also the lightest.
Weighing in at “just” 1 585 kg, the Project 7 makes use of an all-aluminium body and other weight saving measures.
“The Project 7 is 80kg lighter, but there are smaller engines that start from a lower point. Will the Project 7 be the lightest ever? I’m not sure, but we haven’t invented it yet,” Paul Newson, director of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division, said.
Yet, Jaguar is weighing up its options to develop an even lighter model, with borrowed innovative powertrain technology from the C-X75 hypercar, including the 1,6-litre supercharged and turbocharged engine. The 1,6-litre engine in the C-X75 produces 375 kW and revs to 10 000 rpm. Though this engine was designed for a £1 million supercar, Jaguar is not ruling out the option of using this engine in future cars.
“Who can say where we’ll go in the future,” Newson said. “The world is downsizing with high-pressure engines. In the longer term, we won’t be using 5.0-litre V8s,” he added.
Jaguar plans to unveil two new cars at the beginning of 2015, with more to follow. Internally, the said cars are reportedly knows as Project 8, 9 and 10.
– Charlen Raymond
