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Jaguar has never shied away from reminiscing over its illustrious past and with its latest production car - the F-Type - gaining worldwide acclaim, Director of Design, Ian Callum, has created a one-off single-seater roadster called Project 7. The name pays homage to the number of victories achieved by Jaguar at the Le Mans 24 hour race.

Exterior

Project 7 is clearly based on the F-Type, although there are numerous visual changes to give the car a more race-focused appearance. A fairing behind the driver's head is a clear tip of the hat to some of Jaguar's Le Mans racers from the past for instance.

Carbon fibre is used extensively to give the car a new front splitter, side skirts and a more serious looking rear diffuser. The windscreen is lowered in comparison to the F-Type's while a small yet functional rear wing adds further to the racing image. The car's side louvres and bonnet vents have also been fabricated from carbon fibre while the specially machined aluminium wing mirrors draw inspiration from the C-X16 sports car concept.

The car rides on 20-inch Blade forged alloy wheels that contain carbon fibre inserts, while features such as the headlight and air intake surrounds are finished in gloss black as opposed to chrome.

Interior

Like any racer, the Project 7 has a unique interior with a composite single seat and racing harness. But being a Jaguar racer, this car still features some luxurious items like a helmet holder and some heavily quilted leather trim. The leather-trimmed steering wheel also carries the machined aluminium gear shifters while throughout the rest of the cabin carbon fibre inserts are visible on the console and Sportshift lever.

Mechanicals

The basis of Project 7 is of course the F-Type V8 S, and as potent as that standard car is, it wasn't deemed enough for this unique car. The supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine comes with increases of 55hp and 55Nm over the standard car giving it a total output of 550hp and 680Nm, while the extensive use of lightweight materials sees Project 7 reach 62mph in just 4.1 seconds. Further weight was lost by the removal of the roof mechanism in order to accommodate the rollover hoop integrated into the fairing section that slopes down from behind the driver's head.

Anything else?

Jaguar's Project 7 isn't just another motorshow concept; it is a fully-operational car that will make its public debut when it is driven up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by Jaguar's Chief Engineer of Vehicle Integrity, Mike Cross. Jaguar says that it will remain simply a one-off car built to capture the spirit of Jaguar sports cars, but given that the company has recently given the green light to the extreme XKR-S GT, if demand is high enough we may well see Project 7 making production, albeit in a strictly limited run.

Dave Humphreys - 11 Jul 2013