What a year 2011 has been for classic British auto marque Jaguar.
Having stunned the motoring world with the C-X75 supercar concept at the Paris Motor Show in late 2010, Jaguar made a storming start to 2011 by announcing that the car was heading for production.
While the original concept startled auto fans by featuring extraordinary jet turbine engines, a tie-up with the Formula One racing team Williams will see the jets replaced by a 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine boosted by both a turbo and a supercharger.
The result, Jaguar claims, will deliver Bugatti Veyron-rivalling performance and nearly 1,000bhp on a special track-day setting. But this is one supercar that will also be kinder to the environment, thanks to twin electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack that the company says will help the car to achieve class leading acceleration times. There will even be the option of running the car on electric power alone.
Production will be limited to an initial 250 cars, due to hit the road in 2013, although Jaguar claims it has not given up on the original concept of a supercar powered by jet turbines.
In August, Jaguar received a special morale boost when the company’s mould-breaking XF model was crowned ‘Car of the Decade’ by a leading UK motoring magazine Auto Express. Making the award all the more meaningful was the fact that it was based on responses to the magazine’s ‘Driver Power’ survey, which asks readers to rate their cars on factors like performance, comfort, reliability, running costs and servicing experience. More than 300,000 responses delivered the verdict that the XF received consistently higher ratings from owners than any other car in the survey.
September was another big month for the ‘big cat’ marque, as it revealed plans for a further all-new car. The company’s C-X16 concept, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, showcased a new spin on Jaguar’s latest design language and has been referred to by some commentators as the spiritual successor the company’s legendary E-Type. » Read more: Supercar Concept Crowns A Busy 2011 For Jaguar Cars
