Preview: Jaguar F-Type Project 7

There’s a strong chance that by now most of the literate population have either read a review of the Jaguar F-Type or, at the very least, heard about it. Some gentlemen, especially those with a penchant for petrol-fueled power play, may have even been lucky enough to drive either a coupe or drop top version, but certainly not this one; the rip-roaring F-Type Project 7.

Revealed as a concept car at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the production-ready Project 7 will be “the first car we’ll build through our Special Ops technical centre” says Paul Newsome, director of Special Operations at Jaguar Land Rover. Built as a tribute to the iconic seven times Le Mans-winning D-Type (now old enough to claim a pension), the Project 7 is the most powerful road-going Jaguar to date, churning out 567bhp from a 5.0-litre supercharged V8.

Taking styling cues from the 1954 D-Type, such as the driver side aero fin, the hand-built aluminium and carbon fibre Project 7 boasts a bespoke bodykit, streamlined windscreen and quilted leather bucket seats. In addition, a hefty tail fin keeps the rear wheels planted under high speeds and Jaguar claim that the detachable ‘bimini’ roof will keep the rain off your suedes.

Heading up the F-Type range, the Project 7 hints at what’s to come from the super-secret sounding Special Operations technical centre, based in a (not so) secret Midlands location. “The F-Type brings a sense of excitement, rawness and racing back into the fold of Jaguar” says Director of Design, Ian Callum, suggesting that Jaguar may be looking to make a return to motorsport in the not too distant future.

Limited to a run of 250 units, this cat is going to be a tough one for even the most die hard of collectors to get their claws into. The first Project 7 deliveries are expected by mid-2015 and are likely to wear a price tag in the region of £130,000.