Jaguar is planning to return to the racetrack with a new GT3-spec version of the all-new F-Type. Underneath the bonnet is a radical new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, which produces 500bhp and will be used in Jaguar’s C-X75 hybrid supercar.
In the C-X75 the mid-mounted engine drives the rear wheels while a pair of electric motors drive the fronts, for a total of 700bhp. It’s believed that similar set-up could be used for the F-Type GT3 because it – like the C-X75 – is being developed by Jaguar’s technical partner Williams F1.
The new GT3-spec car will form the backbone of a new £20m factory-backed customer racing programme proposed to take Jaguar back into its sporting heartland of GT endurance racing in 2014. With the prospect of an FIA homologated road car in the offing, Jaguar bosses will expect the project to create a new range-topping version of the F-Type similar to Porsche’s 911 GT3.
With a predicted 0-62mph time of under four seconds and a maximum speed close to 200mph, it’s likely the F-Type GT3 will feature more aggressive, functional styling to help improve high-speed stability and cornering.
The standard F-Type will be introduced at the Paris Motor Show in September, with the most extreme version following at least a couple of years into the future.
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F1 engine regulations change to 1.6 turbos soon and Jaguar is paying williams to develop an engine not to dissimiliar by the sounds of this report.....can we read into this that Jaguar is keeping its options open to entering F1 as an engine supplier?
When do we see the F-type?