Jaguar Project 7: One-off racer hits Goodwood

Jaguar will debut a single-seater racer based on its new F-Type at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK this weekend.

Project 7 is an all-aluminium roadster powered by a warmed-over 680Nm, 405kW version of Jaguar's supercharged 5-litre engine, giving it a 4.1 second sprint to 100km/h. It is electronically limited to 300km/h.

Created by a team led by renowned Jaguar design director Ian Callum, the one-off racer is named for the company's seven wins at Le Mans and is finished in the same blue hue worn by the D-Types that won there in 1956 and 1957.

Exterior changes to the car include a rollover hoop and a fairing behind the driver inspired by the famous D-Type race cars, and gets a new front splitter and rear diffuser, chopped-down windscreen and a new carbon fibre front spoiler.

A new nose houses redesigned air intakes and headlights, with carbon fibre bonnet vents and wing mirrors, and the car sits on forged 20-inch Blade alloys.

On the inside, the driver sits 30mm lower than in the F-Type, in a composite bucket seat and locked in with a four-point harness. The passenger seat has been binned in favour of a helmet holder, complete with a specially-designed blue Project 7 crash helmet.

The seat and door inserts are highlighted in a quilted diamond pattern with more carbon fibre inserts on the centre console and machined aluminium paddles to shift the eight-speed semi-automatic transmission.

"The overriding dynamic aim when developing F-TYPE was ensuring connected feel; it's a true, driver-focused sports car; agile, immediate, fast and, of course, fun," says chief engineer Mike Cross, who will drive the car at Goodwood.

"Having achieved that for the road, Project 7 has given us a unique opportunity to go that little bit further. It's visceral in every sense - its response, its sound and its sheer performance. I'm very much looking forward to driving it at Goodwood."