Video: Jaguar is readying a 575bhp, 4WD mega-F-Type
Paul Horrell grills SVO boss on JLR’s upcoming 911 Turbo S rival
"We could do an SVR version of any of our cars," Jaguar Land Rover's Special Operations boss John Edwards tells TopGear.
The more-than-slightly-unhinged Range Rover Sport SVR was just the start. And clips – like the above – of disguised prototypes on test shows that the Jaguar F-Type is next for the Special Ops treatment.
The F-Type's SVR mods are striking enough to easily defeat the op-art swirly disguise. At the front there's a deep splitter, and a pair of colossal air intakes either side of the main grille. The bonnet has extractor vents, and tellingly it's the raised bonnet that goes with the 4WD versions.
Behind the front wheels we see deep vertical air outlet slashes. Along the sides are knife-sharp sill extensions. At the back, there's a gaping venturi down under. Above it is a vast permanent wing in place of the F-Type’s standard flip-up flap.
The front and rear elevations aren't entirely different from the limited-run Project 7. But that piece of mentalism was two-wheel-drive. With 4WD traction, this one should have a better chance of doing something useful with that car's 575bhp. Even when it's mildly moist.
Talking of SVR cars in general, Edwards explains: "Our DNA is this. It must be lighter than the standard car, and more powerful. So it must have more performance. The aerodynamics will be better and the exterior design distinctive."
Looks like the F-Type SVR will meet the brief. And if Edwards is serious about weight reduction, it'll be lighter than a 911 Turbo S. We'll know in the early part of next year.
But what else does SVO have for us? Back to that comment that Edwards could see the possibility of doing a faster-lighter-madder version of any JLR vehicle. Don't worry, his ambitions aren't foolhardy.
"Is there a market for Discovery Sport SVR?" he rhetorically asks. His facial expression delivers a firm "No."
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Commercial sense has to come into it, for a start. But also, says Edwards, "We're trying to promote the core Jaguar and Land Rover core brands. That helps us decide what our next product should be."
By that logic it's clear why they chose the RRSport to be the first vehicle to get the SVR treatment. The clue's in the name: Sport. The SVR version buffs up the base car's sporty image.
It has done well too, selling 3000 copies so far, which is a lot more than SVO originally expected. And it's had almost no advertising.
SVO's Range Rover SV Autobiography is now doing the same for the plush brand of the full-height Range Rover. It has 550bhp in supercharged form, and TG just managed to configure it to £190k without trying terribly hard.
And the SVR will clearly bolster the F-Type's sports-car cred.
"We'll focus more on derivatives rather than the very limited run cars," he says. This means proper production models like the SVRs and SVAutobiography.
So far the SVO division has often been portrayed as a skunkworks for one-offs and ultra-rare editions. You'll remember all the hoopla around the Bond cars, the Lightweight E-Type and the F-Type Project 7. But there's more to it than that.
Where next? "In theory, it's a 'yes' for Jaguars," says Edwards. I mention the XE, and all he'll say is, "It doesn't have to be 575bhp."
But at least that answer implies 'it' – an XF SVR – is somewhere in the plan...
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