The anticipated U.S. Production version of the 2015 F-TYPE Project 7 was unveiled in an exclusive Jaguar Land Rover event in Pebble Beach Wednesday.
Inspired by the Jaguar D-Type, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the F-TYPE Project 7 is a road-legal two-seater roadster fitted with bespoke aerodynamic aids. It was named in honor of the seven wins Jaguar had at Le Mans and will be on a limited production run, shipping with a base price of $165,000.
To emphasize the racing heritage that inspired the vehicle, the F-TYPE Project 7 will come with a 575hp 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine capable of going from 0 to 60mph in just 3.8 seconds. Top speed will be electronically limited though, set at 186mph.
It will also feature dedicated chassis components, with specific calibrations for Dynamic Stability and Adaptive Damping accessible through the 8-inch central touchscreen on the car's dashboard. Torque Vectoring by Braking and Dynamic Mode settings will maximize traction for the Project 7, allowing for agile cornering and precision steering. Jaguar's Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes will also be included in the vehicle.
Two standard colors will be offered: Glacier White and Ultra Blue. Glacier White is a metallic white representing the feature color of the model while Ultra Blue is the metallic version of the French Racing Blue that is the official color of the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations team. Caldera Red, Ultimate Black and British Racing Green will also be offered as optional upgrades.
The U.S. version of the F-TYPE Project 7 is largely identical to other versions of the car except for a key point: its windshield. To accommodate local regulations, it will be fitted with a larger windshield instead of the usual shorter, more highly raked windscreens other locations have. Gloss-black, staggered-width Storm alloy wheels and 255/35-front and 295/30-rear performance tires round up the exterior of the Project 7.
While the Project 7 will inherently be an F-TYPE convertible, it will only share the basics with other members of the F-TYPE family, thanks to the establishment of an all-new special operations department. The Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations team will be acquiring a separate facility in the UK to build the Project 7, churning out only 250 units, all built by hand by a team of 150 people over the course of six months.
The first batch of F-TYPE Project 7s are scheduled to arrive starting spring 2015.
