The Jaguar C-X75 felt like fever dream, something that we all wanted but it never materialized. We all saw it in the James Bond Spectre as the villain car. It was showcased back in 2010 but never went into production. The C-X75 was Jaguar’s XJ220 successor per say and it could have had a huge impact on the automotive industry.
Callum Designs showcased the production version of the C-X75 earlier this year and they have now actually made one. It is completely road legal and also has a V8 engine which we think is the perfect motor for this car.
Jaguar had made seven stunt cars for the movie and four of them were sold to a private buyer later, after filming was done. They first turned chassis 007 into a street legal version and have now also converted the chassis 001 into a proper functioning road car. This is what it would have been if Jaguar would have decided to finally build the vehicle.
The bodywork of the car took 1,000 hours to perfect and Callum had to add active aero and program an air-brake to make it a legit functioning supercar. It also now has a front axle lift to clear potholes. Coming to the inside, it is beautiful, there are round shaped controls in the centre console with screens in the middle, the instrument cluster features beautiful analogue gauges and there is also ample technology which should be present in a modern car like Apple Carplay and a wireless charger.
The original C-X75 concept promised a hybrid setup, with electric motors powering the wheels and a 1.6L four-cylinder engine acting as a power generator. The prototypes however used the 5.0L supercharged V8 engine that we have seen in many other Jaguar and Land Rover products and this feels like a more apt engine choice. All the power goes to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual clutch transmission and it should sound just right with that V8.
Sadly, something like this is not expected to come out of Jaguar. The company has stopped the production of its ICE models completely and will shift to full EVs in 2025. There is simply going to be no combustion engine cars from the company and they are reinventing themselves with EVs. Jaguar would have really done well if they stuck to their roots but with EV sales declining, and people preferring engines to power their luxury cars, they might just not return back at all.
