The Jaguar C-X75 Is Street-Legal at Last, Thanks to Ian Callum
Notable automotive designer Ian Callum was responsible for many gorgeous shapes that eventually became production cars, but one of the ones that got away was the C-X75 for Jaguar. While the car, which debuted in concept form in 2010, nearly made it to production, a financial crisis had other plans; the closest we got was an appearance in the James Bond film Spectre.
Now, however, Callum is seizing a second chance to bring the supercar to the streets: his self-named design firm has just finished building this road-legal example for a customer. It's as close as we'll ever get to seeing a production version of the C-X75.
Callum calls the C-X75 "the one that got away," so when the opportunity to build one for a well-off customer to drive on the street arose, he took it. “We’ve combined the customer’s wishes with carefully engineered solutions to bring C-X75 to the thoroughly satisfying conclusion it always deserved," he said in a statement.
In powertrain terms, the street-legal C-X75 consists of a 5.0-liter supercharged V8, a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and rear-wheel-drive — a far more conventional solution than the diesel-burning micro-turbines that generated power for four electric motors seen on the concept. The finished car has a fully equipped cabin, including leather and metal surfaces designed to live up to the high-end nature of the one-off supercar.
The bespoke seats feature Bridge of Weir leather upholstery, while the steering wheel is a solid piece of billet aluminum wrapped in Alcantara. A feature Callum calls an "Arrowhead Necklace" surrounds the driver, and provides three tactile rotary controls with integrated touchscreens. Above it lies the start button and other physical switchgear in a roof-mounted console.
“While engineering a raw stunt car into a refined modern supercar with all the expected attributes presented significant challenges, finding the right solutions excited us all,” Adam Donfrancesco, the design firm’s engineering director, said.
“Integrating features including air-con and premium audio whilst also balancing the NVH, refinement, and hygiene factors such as engineering the door seals to keep the elements out, all whilst ensuring it still sounded mega, was a formidable but thrilling challenge and the results speak for themselves," he continued.
The C-X75 was a car that could've made a huge impact in the market for Jaguar. (It's telling that over a decade later, it still makes waves when it pops up in the news.) Seeing as Jaguar is about to relaunch itself as an EV-only brand, we'll never get another gas-powered supercar like this one from the brand. At least Callum is giving us a peek at what could've been.
You Might Also Like