The limited-edition Jaguar F-type Project 7 has already sold out in the UK, and there are another hundred hopeful buyers on the British waiting list, according to sources at the company.
Production of the £135,000 special edition is strictly limited to 250 units globally; it’s thought that the UK allocation is about 65 units.
The three other main global markets are also expected to get an allocation of around 65 cars each. Jaguar engineers are still working on making the Project 7 legal for Japan. UK and EU deliveries will be made first, followed by the US.
The car was launched in left-hand drive form for the EU at this weekend’s Le Mans Classic, following its UK reveal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Jaguar will unveil the car for the US market at the Pebble Beach Automotive Week, which begins on the 13 August.
The 250 cars will be based on the yet-to-be-announced 2015-model Jaguar F-Type convertible. Construction will begin at the end of the year and run through much of 2015.
JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations unit, which masterminded the new car, has not yet announced the location of its new integrated factory unit. One source, however, said that the new facility would be a ‘destination’ in itself and close to JLR’s West Midlands heartland.
SVO executive Harry Metcalfe told Autocar that that the Project 7’s roof design was still being worked on. "We have several designs currently under evaluation, but it will be a tensioned fabric roof and it will keep the occupants dry in heavy rain."
It is planned that, when the roof is fitted, the car’s ECU will automatically cut the top speed from 186mph to a limited 120mph.
Metcalfe also revealed that, under the skin, the Project 7 differs in a number of ways from the F-Type on which it is based. Much of the re-engineering centres around the front end, which gets beefed up front suspension towers and the same suspension system (including dual-rate springs) as used in the Jaguar XKR-S GT, which was launched earlier this year.
Although it was "never part of the aims for Project 7", Metcalfe added that car has already lapped the Nürburgring "quite a bit quicker than the F-Type R Coupe’s time of 7min 39sec… which was a nice surprise."
Read Autocar's first drive of the Project 7 concept.
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I've seen loads if f types in
A number were sold at
Anyone who thinks Jag is on their knees, is a pathetic whiney child, that has no idea about anything.
That was SOLDI I believe
I said "Limited to 250? If it sells well will they demonstrate customer loyalty or break their promise of exclusivity and knock out another 250." wouldn't be so bad if they did as it's a nice looking car
I think it was.