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Finally James Bond’s Jaguar C-X75 Will Hit The Road
The life of the Jaguar C-X75 has not been a smooth ride. First appearing in 2010 in the form of a concept car—the one that takes on the aesthetics of a supercar—it came to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the British brand. Hence its name. But perhaps it was too ahead of its time with its plug-in hybrid engine. In addition, the electric motors housed in each wheel were powered by two microturbines. A tempting power of 780 hp, but a project that failed in 2013, even after having been envisaged with a turbocharged petrol engine.
But the Jaguar C-X75 had not said its last word: it will return to the forefront in the film Spectre, a James Bond with Daniel Craig style. A second life, which unfortunately will not go any further. At least on the Jaguar side. Because its designer, the brilliant Ian Callum, has just announced that a C-X75 has just been approved for the road!
From cinema to reality
So how could the Jaguar C-X75, almost 15 years after its appearance and almost 10 years after its short-lived cinematic career, come back to life like this? Quite simply, four of the five copies of the film survived this chase in Rome, during which 007 (in an Aston Martin DB10) is chased by Mr. Hinx. Not subsequently resold, these are museum pieces, prohibited from being driven on the road. But one of the customers contacted the Callum company, that of Ian Callum, who, at the time, had designed the C-X75.
Initially manufactured by Williams Advanced Engineering, this C-X75 in the film was built on a tubular chassis with a suspension derived from rally vehicles, and above all, leaving behind the initial plug-in hybrid solution, it featured a Jaguar supercharged 5-litre V8. To get it through inspections and approval, Callum’s engineering teams announced that they had made around a hundred improvements.
A hundred improvements
On the menu of modifications, it was necessary to revise the exhausts to make them quieter and add catalytic converters. Real mirrors replace those of the movie car, which were made of foam, as well as side indicators. Callum took the opportunity to improve the car, particularly in terms of the bodywork. New paint was also applied to the carbon fibre bodywork, and some panel fits were improved.
See you on April 21
The good news is that, seeing the photos of this Jaguar C-X75 ready to hit the road, nothing seems to differ from the car seen in Specter, despite the modifications made to please the regulator. We expected no less from Callum, who had already taken care of the approval of the sublime Aston Martin DB4 Continuation. This Jaguar C-X75 will make its public debut on April 21, 2024, at the Bicester Heritage event. And then afterwards, maybe you will have the chance to meet her on the road one day?
Jaguar C-X75 (Spectre, 2015)
