Jaguar's great leap forward

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Jaguar calls the go-fast model a "racing concept". It calls the other one, the road-going ultraviolet blue X-Type, the "Indianapolis".

The race concept was inspired by Trans-Am and European DTM series racers and built to test the motorsport potential of the all-wheel-drive X-Type sports sedan.

The Indianapolis was inspired by Jaguar's marketing arm and takes its name not from America's famous race circuit, but from its special-edition 18-inch wheels, Indianapolis R Performance BBS alloys.

The racing concept was built by Rocketsports Racing, a Lansing, Michigan operation owned and run by American Trans-Am champion Paul Gentilozzis.

It was unveiled at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (Sema) annual trade show in Las Vegas the other day.

The Indianapolis was built by Jaguar in Coventry and unveiled at the British motor show.

New Zealanders will get to see the Indianapolis long before the racing concept. It is expected to go on sale here about the middle of next year - if Jaguar New Zealand general manager Steven Pleciak gets his way.

"I've spoken to Jaguar in Britain about getting the Indianapolis here but nothing has been confirmed yet," he said. "Britain has been a bit restrictive with the allocation and will look after British and American demand first.

"But I'm reasonably confident we can get our hands on some. Australia is trying for an allocation too. We might jump on the back of Australia and say that between us we need 25."

Production of the Indianapolis begins in January. Two models will be available, one powered by a 2.5-litre V6 and the other by a 3-litre V6. Both use an all-wheel-drive system directing 40 per cent of torque to the front wheels and 60 per cent to the rear.

A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, an electronic five-speed automatic transmission optional. There are three Indianapolis colours - ebony, platinum and ultraviolet blue.

The racing concept is based on the 3-litre all-wheel-drive X-Type.

"Since its introduction, we knew the X-Type would provide the perfect platform from which to style a visually dramatic racebred concept," said George Ayres, the vice-president of marketing for Jaguar North America. "The concept sends a clear message to enthusiasts that motorsport is a vital and integral part of our DNA."

Jaguar spokesman Simon Sproule said there was a lot of interest in getting back on the track in North America, most likely in the Trans-Am series.

"A decision could be made in the near future - and it would not be linked to any decision on the future of Jaguar's struggling Formula One efforts," said Sproule.

Rocketsports Racing's engineers began by widening the X-Type's track by about 20cm and fitting three-piece, centre-lock BBS wheels, with Michelin Pilot 345/18 race tyres at the front and 385/18s at the rear. The BBS wheels are similar to those Gentilozzis used on his XKR-based Trans-Am car in this year's Daytona endurance race.

"We used the principles we had learned creating our XKR-bodied Trans-Am cars to create the racing X-Type," said Gentilozzis.

"This aggressive wide-body look also reflects a growing number of the project cars coming out of the import [European] car scene."

To give the concept the kind of stopping power that matches its grip, 14-inch front and 13-inch rear ventilated racing rotors clamped by six-piston Brembo racing calipers were added. They are fitted with race-spec Ferodo high-friction brake pads.

Modifications to the body included the addition of race-style wheel arches joined longitudinally by aerodynamic rocker box sections.

At the front, there's a deeper spoiler incorporating a lower splitter, while at the rear a full-width, racing-style wing is mounted on the rear deck. Rocketsports also fabricated a new exhaust system, featuring dual pipes emerging from each side of the rear.

The X-Type's production grille openings and headlight locations were unaltered for the concept.

However, to stay true to Jaguar's R-Performance styling cues, the upper and lower front grilles use a chrome mesh similar to that used in the supercharged S-Type R, XJR and XKR models.

To complete the appearance, the concept is painted Jaguar Racing Green. And along each side, silver Jaguar leaper graphics echo those used on Rocketsports Racing's XKR race cars.

"Much of the styling and technology on display at Sema is derived from that of racing cars," said Jaguar marketing executive Ayres.

"By showing the X-Type Racing Concept, we hope to demonstrate to customers and high-performance component suppliers the potential of the X-Type, both as a racecar and as a platform for after-markettuning."