Jaguar F-Type Project 7

The British are fond of their history for good reason. From Stonehenge to Brexit, it’s been nothing if not a fascinating ride. Along those lines, it has been a long while since we’ve been able to attend a Jaguar press event without some mention of the Jaguar E-type, out of production for 41 years and still, indisputably, one of the loveliest cars ever made. The XK-E is a seemingly inexhaustible source of fuel for Jag’s endless nostalgia play, in which the current F-type sports car is billed as the E’s spiritual successor. For this year only, there is a version of the F, the limited-edition Project 7, that traces its lineage back to the racing Jaguar D-types, the XK-E’s own predecessor. From E you get F, and now an F that evokes D. Got it?

Does a topless F-type with a shark-fin fairing and white roundels over British Racing Green paint make pretty mental pictures for you of the Le Mans pit clock and Mike Hawthorn sawing at the wheel of his 1956 D-type? If so, then perhaps the $175,995 price on this particular Project 7 seems worth it, representing as it does a startling $110,000 premium over a base F-type coupe. (Standard color choices are white or an Ecurie Ecosse–like blue for fans who know their history from 60 years ago, while the factory-team BRG paint on this car added $10,000 to the bottom line.)

Ah, but just 250 of these cars are being built—and Jag says they’re all spoken for, including the mere 50 designated for U.S. sale, so there’s exclusivity to factor in. And the Project 7 delivers more sauce than the next-burliest F-type, what with its 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 juiced to 575 blatting horsepower. The 25-hp engine upgrade, as well as suspension and trim tweaks, makes the Project 7 basically an SVR convertible ($129,795) minus the electric top and all-wheel drive, for $36,200 more.

Instead of the SVR’s power-folding softtop, you get a sort of rain fly that snaps to the body in a few places and looks flimsy as it says to the world, “Please, take me off.” And instead of all-wheel drive, you get tire-frying wheel slip in back and massive, hilarious oversteer. To a car, the Jaguars we’ve taken to tracks in recent years have stood out as sideways drifters. It’s a combination of high horsepower, less-than-optimal grip, and the trait that the British love in their cars above all things: hyper-reactive steering combined with rock-rigid roll control. Thus, massive oversteer rather than safe, respectable, dull understeer. It may entertain you and blanche your passenger, but it will not make you especially fast around a circuit.

The Project 7 fits the Jaguar pattern, a short wheelbase and the blown V-8 only adding to the thrills. The Continental ContiForceContact tires just are not up to the task of containing all that rage, the car suffering difficulties both turning and laying down the power, which led to a lap of Virginia International Raceway’s 4.1-mile Grand Course at this year’s Lightning Lap competition in 3:02.2 that was, if not exactly terrifying, then slightly alarming in its degree of frustration.

Like all the current R- and SVR-rated Jags, the Project 7 rips the air with delightful chortles from its none-too-muffled pipes. The brakes are extremely stout, and the car can probably be made to dance with discipline with only a few modifications. It’s darn expensive, though, and will be clobbered by cheaper (though quieter) cars on track day.

Keep this particular cat out of the jungle, however, and it’ll purr sweetly for you. The F-type is one of the bawdiest sports cars out there at the moment, both sexy and seriously quick. Add a shark fin and you’ve got a roadster soaked in British persona.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible

PRICE AS TESTED: $175,995 (base price: $165,995)

ENGINE TYPE: supercharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 305 cu in, 5000 cc
Power: 575 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 502 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 103.2 in
Length: 176.2 in
Width: 75.7 in Height: 51.5 in
Passenger volume: 52 cu ft
Cargo volume: 7 cu ft
Curb weight: 3766 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 3.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 8.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 11.6 sec
Top speed: 186 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway: 16/23 mpg