News from Barretts Jaguar of Ashford and Canterbury in Kent.


JAY LENO REVIEWS THE JAGUAR C-X75 CONCEPT



No spotlights. No evocative music. No video walls playing carefully crafted videos. Unlike its world premiere on the stage at the Paris Motor Show, the first time Jaguar’s celebratory (75 years of heritage) and celebrated (the media and public reaction has been stupendous) C-X75 set foot on the open road was a more gritty and real experience.

It might in Hollywood, but edgy North Hollywood, not the Walk of Fame or the Sunset Strip, where Tinseltown’s favourite petrolhead Jay Leno became the first person outside Jaguar to drive the C-X75 on a public highway.

“I have compromising pictures of (Jaguar Design Director) Ian Callum. That’s why I am being allowed to drive it first,” joked the highest rating TV chat show host in America, pacing about the Jaguar like the big cat of the same name.

The real reason? Leno loves cars partly because of Jaguar. Leno’s obsession with cars was born when, as a 9 year old, he saw a neighbour in Massachusetts polishing an XX120. His passion for cars was ignited on that hot summer’s day. That was just over 50 years ago. Now Leno’s garage houses hundreds of cars and motorbikes, including a Jaguar XK120, XK140, an E-Type (XKE in the US) and a new XJ (ordered after launching the car in London last year).

As he was allowed to peruse the gleaming XK at his childhood home near Boston, 3000 miles away in England, Jaguar’s design team creating the E-Type were finishing off the iconic shape that sealed Jaguar’s place in the dictionary of cool forever. Now, almost half a century on, Leno thinks Jag have hit gold again.

“Jaguar really surprised everybody when they showed up with this car at Paris, but that’s what Jags do. They tend to show up and surprise everyone. The XKE in 1961, the XK120 in 1948 and this one in 2010. That’s part of the Jag tradition. You turn up with something cool, surprise everyone…then hopefully build it.”

The inspiration for the C-X75 comes from the same decade as the E-Type. In the 60’s, Jaguar made the XJ13 race car to take on the Ferraris and GT40’s at Le Mans. But only one of the V12 machines was ever made.

By coincidence, when Leno was in the UK in 2009 to launch the XJ, he picked the XJ13 from a cavalcade of Jags to have a test drive at Gaydon, near Stratford-upon-Avon.

“The minute I saw the C-X75 and Ian said it was his inspiration, I could see the link,” said Leno.

Callum and his one-off creation were in LA for the auto show. And to test the reaction of potential customers in the world’s entertainment capital.

“The C-X75 is called that because it celebrates 75 years of Jaguar heritage and shows our thinking for the future,” said Callum, walking Leno around the car. “It also shows the kind of forward thinking talent we have at Jaguar.”

Leno caresses and touches the bodywork as he circumnavigates the C-X75. Like all Jaguars he sees the mix of femininity and muscular masculinity.

“My XK120, when I park it on the street, there will be women around when I come back. What kind of car is that? Then they ask me questions. They think it is fantastic,” Leno tells Callum. The pair have met many times. The bond of petrolheads is strong.

Leno’s view on Callum’s styling? “The nice thing, despite being so cutting edge, is it still looks like a Jag. It’s got certain key features like the detail on the buttress behind the driver’s head that is reminiscent of the new XJ. The back end is especially sexy and has hints of E Type and even the D Type.”

It’s clear Leno is keen to get behind the wheel. When the car is made. If the car is made, it will be powered by twin turbines charging four electric motors. The hybrid power plant is one thing that caught the press’ attention in Paris.

This concept car is battery powered. It is amazing that it drives at all but Leno thinks that and the ready-to-make look of the design are positive signs for its future. He climbs aboard.

The street near his garage has a man at each end to avoid a priceless prang. Otherwise this is a public thoroughfare. Jay emits a big grin from inside the cabin, which he likes for being spacious , having a liberal use of brushed aluminium and mixing modern with hints of history.

A touch on the accelerator and the world’s only C-X75 pulls away silently. Callum smiles, maybe out of nervousness, but certainly out of pride. His baby is now in the hands of the world’s best known gearhead. What Leno thinks has global resonance.

Jay takes the Jag up the street and back. It can easily manage the urban speed limit but the car’s starring role in LA means treating it with kid gloves. It’s a short test but an important one. As he returns, the familiar Jaguar nose straddling the centre line, and Leno’s famous face behind the polished aluminium steering wheel, Callum waits at the roadside.

The look on his face says ‘Well..?’ as Leno opens the gaping doors.

“There is no point talking handling and performance. It is just a thrill to even feel it move,” beams the comedian. “It’s such an important car for Jaguar. The design, the propulsion, the statement it makes about the company’s take on the future. It is just aching to be built. I hope. I really hope they do make it. It’s beautiful. And Jaguar’s are beautiful.”

To view video footage click here

Barretts Jaguar News
News from the Jaguar Dealers of Ashford and Canterbury, Kent

JAGUAR C-X75 CONCEPT FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE ELECTRIC SUPERCAR UNVEILED AT PARIS

JAGUAR C-X75 CONCEPT FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE ELECTRIC SUPERCAR UNVEILED

• Stunning range-extended electric supercar concept

• A celebration of 75 years of beautiful, fast Jaguars, points the way to a new design language

• Capable of reaching 330km/h (205mph), sprinting from 0-100km/h (62mph) in just 3.4 seconds and blistering acceleration from 80-145km/h (50-90mph) in just 2.3 seconds

• Four powerful 145kW (195bhp) electric motors – one for each wheel - produce 780bhp and an astonishing total torque output of 1600Nm (1180lb ft)

• Two micro gas-turbines, spinning at 80,000 rpm, can generate enough electricity to extend the range to a remarkable 560 miles; and produce just 28 grams of CO2 per kilometre from the car’s plug-in charge capability

• A zero tailpipe emissions range of 110km (68 miles) while running solely on battery power

Jaguar has revealed a stunning range-extended electric supercar concept car. The C-X75 has been designed to celebrate 75 years of the marque and provide a glimpse into the future of Jaguar and its commitment to producing beautiful, fast cars powered by sustainable means.

“The C-X75 is a tribute to the people who shaped the iconic Jaguars that are revered to this day. By making it an innovative test-bed for the technologies of tomorrow, it also ensures that our reputation for engineering excellence will continue for another 75 years and beyond.”
Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars


75 Years of Jaguar Design

The C-X75 hints at an exciting evolution of Jaguar's design language while paying homage to some of its most admired cars of years gone by. Advanced design features such as a ground-breaking propulsion system and active aerodynamics allow for an elegantly simple fuselage section that remains stable at very high speeds.

The C-X75 is finished in Jetstream Silver, its designers staying true to the long-held Jaguar design philosophy of natural, flowing lines and simple, elegant forms. Where inspiration from the past was found is in the innovative engineering and functional design elements of cars like the 1950s C-Type and D-Type racers and unique 1966 XJ13 Le Mans prototype – a car described by Callum as, “arguably the most beautiful Jaguar ever made”.

Shorter and lower than the current crop of supercars, its exterior design is about pure performance with a simple central fuselage surrounded by prominent wheel arches. Thanks to the packaging efficiencies provided by the absence of a conventional piston engine, the car’s designers had maximum freedom in placing the mechanical components and creating the most elegant engineering package available.

“The C-X75 is everything a Jaguar should be. It possesses remarkable poise and grace yet at the same time has the excitement and potency of a true supercar. You could argue this is as close to a pure art form as a concept car can get and we believe it is a worthy homage to 75 years of iconic Jaguar design.”
Ian Callum, Design Director, Jaguar Cars

Propulsion system

The 330km/h (205mph) four-wheel drive supercar is capable of running in purely electric (zero tailpipe emissions) mode for 110km (68 miles) on a six-hour domestic plug-in charge. The innovative, lightweight micro gas-turbines are also capable of very quickly and efficiently recharging the Lithium-ion batteries, giving the car a theoretical range of 900km (560 miles).

This remarkable range-extension system is a result of Jaguar’s research engineers adopting a clean-sheet approach to the question of powering the supercars of the future. The C-X75 turns to the very latest evolution of a pioneering British technology: the gas turbine.

Developed in partnership with Bladon Jets, the miniaturised turbine blade - the first viable axial-flow micro-turbine - increases the compression and efficiency of micro gas-turbines to the point at which they can be viewed as a realistic power source. Each of the micro gas-turbines weighs just 35kg and produces 70kW of power at a constant 80,000rpm.

Power and control

The energy created by the turbines and stored in the batteries is transmitted to the road using four independent electric motors. Using individual motors has benefits in terms of weight-saving and distribution, packaging and efficiency. Each motor weighs just 50kg but produces 145kW (195bhp) of power and an astonishing combined total torque output of 1600Nm (1180lb ft).

Because each wheel is driven by its own electric motor, the C-X75 is four-wheel drive – with all the traction, grip and safety benefits that entails – without the weight disadvantages of a purely mechanical set-up. Inherent in this drivetrain is the ability to independently vector torque to each wheel across the full speed range. This offers potential benefits in terms of stability and control, creating an infinitely and instantaneously adjustable traction and stability control system.

Driver-focused cabin

With the seats fixed, the steering wheel, controls, main binnacle and pedal box all adjust towards the driver. The seats are attached to the bulkhead as in a single-seater racing car, and air to feed the turbines passes smoothly around them via channels in the structure of the body.

A new interface for the driver has also been created for the C-X75 using high-resolution TFT screens. Building on Jaguar’s 10-year expertise in touchscreen technology, the Jaguar Co-Pilot display in the centre console supports the driver in extracting the full potential of the C-X75 by seamlessly managing information.

The main driver information screen is housed within the instrument binnacle. Needles float on the periphery of the twin cowls and sweep round the outer edge to display the status and rpm of the two turbines. The design team combined designs from instrumentation in the new XJ saloon with those from fighter aircraft to create virtual 3D ‘gimbals’ around which the gauges wrap and rotate to provide status updates.

75 years of innovation

"Performance through innovation has always been a Jaguar trademark. From the beginning, cars such as the C-Type and D-Type pioneered aluminium construction, aerodynamic design, racing monocoques and disc brakes. The C-X75 demonstrates that Jaguar is still leading the field automotive design and technology. And will always continue to build beautiful, fast cars."
Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover

Advanced aluminium lightweight construction

Jaguar’s expertise in the use of aluminium stretches back more than 50 years to the first XK120s, through the lightweight E-Types, the XK and all-new 2010 XJ. It was with this latter creation that Jaguar fully realised the lightweight metal’s benefits to performance, agility, economy and sustainability in a luxury car.

The C-X75 naturally follows the same construction techniques with an extruded and bonded aerospace-inspired aluminium chassis clad in panels of the same material. Not only does this save weight, crucial in a car with an extreme performance envelope, but aluminium is one of the most easily recyclable metals available, boosting the C-X75’s sustainability as well as its speed.

Active Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics have always played a large part in Jaguar design with the late designer Malcolm Sayer elevating it into an art form in cars such as the XJ13, the prototype from which the C-X75 draws inspiration.

Jaguar has increased the design’s aerodynamic efficiency dramatically by opening the front grille and brake cooling vents only when necessary. At the rear corners of the car vertical control surfaces automatically engage at higher speeds to direct airflow aft of the rear wheels for increased stability and efficiency.

The carbon-fibre rear diffuser, a crucial element in guiding airflow under the car and creating downforce includes an active aerofoil, which is lowered automatically as speed increases. Vanes in the exhaust ports then alter the directional flow of the gases to further increase the effectiveness of the Venturi tunnel.

Technical Specifications


Propulsion System & Transmission
Electric motor Four 145kW (195bhp) traction motors (580kW/780bhp total)
Generator Two switched reluctance generators
Range Extender power 2 x 70kW (94bhp) gas micro-turbines (140kW/188bhp total)
Batteries Lithium-ion
Total Battery Capacity (kWh) 19.6
Transmission Single-speed
Final Drive Ratio 3.1:1


Performance
0-100km/h (seconds) 3.4
Top Speed (km/h/mph) 330/205
0-160km/h (seconds) 5.5
0-300km/h (seconds) 15.7
1/4 mile (seconds@km/h) 10.3@251
Max. Power (kW/BHP) 580/780
Max. Torque (Nm/lb ft) 1600/1180
Power to Weight ratio (BHP/tonne) 578
Aerodynamics (Cd) 0.32


Economy
EV range (km/miles) 110/68
Extended range (km/miles) 900/560
CO2 emissions (g/km) 28
Fuel tank capacity (litres) 60


Dimensions
Wheelbase (mm/inches) 2725/107.28
Overall Length (mm/inches) 4647/182.95
Overall width (mm/inches) 2020/79.52
Overall Height (mm/inches) 1204/47.40
Kerb weight (kg) 1350
Wheel size front and rear (inches) 21 and 22
Tyres (front and rear) 265/30 ZR21 and 365/25 ZR22