Land Rover claims the new Range Rover Sport SVR will be the world's fastest SUV.
Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Vehicle Operations team will make its formal debut at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with the introduction of three new high-performance models, including one billed as the world’s fastest SUV.
Among the vehicles on display will be the new 550-horsepower Range Rover Sport SVR, which will make its global debut at the annual car show – which has become a favored background for manufacturers to reveal their latest performance and luxury vehicles.
Also set for a worldwide debut, Jaguar will show off the first of its new Lightweight E-Type vehicles, part of a missing group of six Lightweights from what was originally intended to be a series of 18.
And the August unveilings also will bring the reveal of the U.S. version of the F-Type Project 7 roadster, which recently was approved for production.
(Click Here for more on the Project 7 program.)
The Project 7 prototype was originally unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June. The launch of the street-legal two-seater was meant to mark the 60th anniversary of the formidable Jaguar D-Type racers that dominated at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and which inspired the new roadster. The British maker plans to produce just 250 Project 7 cars, which will be the most powerful version of the F-Type sports car yet brought to market.
One of the original Jaguar Lightweight E-Types.
The production model will differ from the concept shown at the 2013 Goodwood Festival in several key ways: it now will provide a second seat for a passenger, with rollover hoops for both occupants now integrated into the design. Meanwhile, Jaguar says that to make the Project 7 legal for use on U.S. roads, the American version will be equipped with a full height windshield.
(Click Here for more on the new Land Rover Discovery Sport.)
As for the Range Rover Sport SVR, it recently laid claims to being the fastest SUV in the world, turning a blistering 8:14 lap time on the challenging Nurburgring, in Germany — despite a hefty mass of 5,093 pounds.
Making 543 horsepower out of its 5.0-liter V-8, it’s got a full 33 ponies over the Range Rover Supercharged edition. The maker hasn’t released specific performance numbers but it’s expected to launch from 0 to 60 in well under 5 seconds, which would put it into competition with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, which can hit 60 in 4.2 seconds.
Work gets underway on a new Lightweight E-Type.
Considering the Porsche comes in at $113,000, the new Range Rover Sport SVR is likely to occupy similar, rarified air.
(Jaguar brings videogame tech to the street with “Virtual Windshield.” Click Here for a closer look.)
As for the prototype Jaguar Lightweight E-Type, it’s the first time the British maker has ever done a “re-creation” project. It fills in the gap on a 1963 project when the maker originally produced 12 of a planned 18 aluminum-bodied versions of its legendary E-Type model.
“This is an incredibly exciting project for Jaguar,” Derek Weale, Director, JLR Heritage Business, said when the project was announced in May. “The E-type is an iconic car, and the Lightweight E-type is the most desirable model of all. To be able to complete the intended production run of 18, some 50 years after the last Lightweight was completed, is an opportunity we couldn’t miss.”
(New Jaguar XE will adopt a lightweight, modular “aluminum-intensive” design. Click Here for more details.)
Jaguar plans to roll out the three models during a series of events surrounding the annual Pebble Beach Concours, starting with a party of its own on Friday, August 14th.