The Jaguar Supercar You Thought Was Dead Is Back With A Supercharged V8

Legendary British car designer Ian Callum has a remarkable resume, but he’s best known for his involvement with Aston Martin and Jaguar. Although much of his work saw the light of day, like the original Aston Martin Vantage and the amazing Nissan R390 racecar, one car that didn’t make production stands out: the Jaguar C-X75. In its original concept form, it was designed as a hybrid with diesel-powered micro gas turbines instead of a four-stroke engine, and although the powertrain may have been difficult to wrap one’s head around, the styling was too good to forget, It never reached genuine production, but four stunt cars based on the C-X75 were created for the 2015 James Bond film Spectre. One of those cars has now been turned into a running, driving, road-legal supercar.

We’ve Seen This Before, But To A Lower Standard

Since leaving the world of corporate design, Ian Callum has started his own design studio. This design studio turned one of the abovementioned stunt cars into a drivable one-off C-X75 earlier this year, with help from Williams Advanced Engineering. On that occasion, the commissioner asked Callum to turn the stunt car into a road-legal machine without detracting from its glamourous history, which meant retaining the somewhat rudimentary cabin. But the C-X75 you see before you went a step further, with this new commission said to go “far beyond the hundreds of standard modifications necessary for achieving Individual Vehicle Approval certification.” Based on Car 001, the C-X75 in these images has a revised powertrain, active aero, and a luxurious interior.

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Stillborn Jaguar C-X75 Resurrected As One-Off Supercar By Legendary Designer

Ian Callum’s engineering company has transformed a rough stunt vehicle into an exquisite exotic deserving of its fame, but only one has and will be made.

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It’s not practical to even consider the revolutionary powertrain of the concept, so instead, the C-X75 gets a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 not dissimilar to what was under the hood of the Jaguar F-Type before it was tragically killed off. A power figure has not been provided, but the rear wheels are fed via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Callum also notes that there are various driving modes to sharpen gear shifts, improve throttle response, and increase drama from the exhaust. Adaptive body elements, including an air brake, keep the car balanced at high speeds.

Restrained Yet Riveting Design

Over 1,000 hours were spent perfecting the bodywork, including machined brushed aluminum exterior brightwork, a bespoke filler cap, carbon fiber diffuser and intake elements, and a polished metal grille. The body is painted a hue called Willow Green, and in conjunction with the original grey wheels (20 inches at the front, 21 inches at the rear), the car looks dramatic yet elegant. Inside, dark green and cream hues create a sense of luxury, while rotary controls aimed toward the left side of the cabin put the focus on the driver. There are all the usual amenities you need for a grand tour, including wireless charging, a custom sound system, and Apple CarPlay, but the switchgear and displays grab the most attention.

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Two dials sit within a custom binnacle behind a steering wheel made of billet aluminum, and the engine start button and other major controls sit in a dramatic roof-mounted console. With cupholders integrated into the sills, a digital rearview mirror, and seats chosen by the commissioner for comfort, it sounds like this car will be used regularly, not just displayed in a collection. No acceleration, top speed, or pricing numbers have been revealed, but that doesn’t matter. This is a realization of a dream that began in 2010, and the world is a better place for the C-X75’s existence, albeit in ultra-low-volume form with a conventional engine.