Jaguar C-X75
Most dreams are a lie, some things are too good to be true. Clichés of the highest order, but in the case of the Jaguar C-X75 truths like a cow. You are looking at a beautiful car that any Jaguar fan would sign off on blindly, but which never saw the light of day. At least, not really.Since time immemorial, James Bond has been a character who moves around purely in stylish vehicles. Often these are Aston Martins, barring an exotic foray (hello, Citroën 2CV!). The villains 007 is up against don't come off worst either. Mr Hinx, the super villain from the Bond film Spectre, drives an even more beautiful car than Bond himself, if possible. Jaguar decided to breathe life into their most daring concept car in years especially for the film. Sort of.
The Jaguar C-X75 was to be a revolutionary super sports car that did not allow itself to be powered by a standard internal combustion engine. The concept was powered by four electric motors, each producing 195 hp. It also had two micro-gas turbine engines that served as range extenders. Combining the two, the hybrid Jag could drive a handsome 900 kilometres on a single charge. Peak power was a whopping 780 hp.SUBJECTIn terms of looks, it is not hard for a little car buff to see where the C-X75 took its inspiration. In fact, you could call it the spiritual successor to the Jaguar XJ220, the supercar that had to compete with the Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Diablo in the 1990s. That car flopped miserably. Although 1,500 orders were placed, Jaguar ended up selling only 271.Angry tongues whisper that the inglorious demise of the XJ220 ensured that the C-X75 did not materialise. You read it right: although no one thought the C-X75 was ugly and everyone was eagerly awaiting its performance on physical tarmac, Jaguar pulled the plug on the hybrid supercar's development in late 2012.
The announced number of 250 units stuck to just a handful, which also lacked the much-discussed microturbines.
These had given way to a powerful 1.6-litre four-cylinder. Official reading reveals that Jaguar points to the crisis as the main reason for halting the project. The brand feared the €700,000 price would prove too high.INDESTRUCTIBLEAnd then Bond film Spectre came into focus. The villain in the story needed a fitting set of wheels and the filmmakers' eye fell on the C-X75 concept. A total of four examples were built for the filming. The ingenious hybrid system gave way to a fat V8 from the Jaguar F-Type. All-wheel drive was swapped for rear-wheel drive. Parts of its suspension borrowed from the World Rally Championship.The thing had to take a beating. The car is raw, bare, hardcore and unique. Basically everything the production model should have been, had it ever seen the light of day.
Nothing suggests that this is a car built merely as a movie prop. Everything is right, it is completely finished and has always been neatly maintained by the people at Williams Racing. Not the least of these in the automotive world.
VERY occasionally, you have the chance to buy the most beautiful Jaguar of the last two decades. Unfortunately, you have to put down an amount of six zeros for it. A little more than its original retail price, but really, it's more than worth it.
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