M A N U FA C T U R E D
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C O V E N T R Y,
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J A G U A R
PROJECT7 IT’S IN THE BLOOD... FOR OVER 75 YEARS every Jaguar ever built has conveyed a truly distinctive mix of sporting bloodline and innovative ambition. Now, with the unveiling of the unique Project 7 design concept, that Jaguar character is defined in even stronger terms. Project 7 is that rarest of machines: a car imagined, designed and then engineered for the simple reason that from the very first sketch it didn’t just look right, it was right. Even though it started life as a personal design study, it was a car that almost demanded it make the leap from the drawing board to reality. It was a Jaguar of which Director of Design Ian Callum very much approved, for it did exactly what he always asks of his designers: it pushed the boundaries of design. And what’s more it was a Jaguar that had been penned for the right reason: for a love of car design pure and simple. The brainchild of Cesar Pieri, a member of the Jaguar design team that penned the acclaimed new F-TYPE sports car, Project 7’s inspiration was almost as organic as its flowing
lines. For Project 7 started out purely as a way to express Cesar’s creative thinking. He knew instinctively that it was a Jaguar that ticked the right boxes in terms of its inspiration, its purity and its very raison d’être. But it was never intended to be anything more than a design study – a creative idea that morphed the new F-TYPE convertible into a unique single-seater sports car and on the way gave a gentle nod of approval to the great Jaguar sports racers of the past. However, when Ian Callum reviewed Cesar’s sketch during a meeting in the design studio, he knew instantly that his colleague’s idea conveyed a strong message. The rest is Project 7 history. That meeting took place just 16 short weeks ago and in that incredibly condensed timeframe Pieri, Jaguar Chief Designer Alister Whelan and the F-TYPE engineering team have crafted Project 7 into its final form: a living, breathing, single-seater Jaguar ‘roadster’ inspired by the iconic racing D-type of the 1950s and the all-new F-TYPE – a car set to take its own place among the legends that carry the Jaguar badge.
CONTENTS 03 DESIGN PHILOSOPHY 04 PROJECT 7 POSTER PULLOUT 06 TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION 08 THE SOUL OF AN F-TYPE
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DESIGNER’S EYE “PROJECT 7’S INSPIRATION COMES FROM THE SORT OF THINGS CAR DESIGNERS DREAM ABOUT – MOTOR RACING, CUTTINGEDGE TECHNOLOGY, PERFORMANCE THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS.” IAN CALLUM DIRECTOR OF DESIGN, JAGUAR
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f you get a chance to peek inside a car designer’s sketch book – a good car designer that is – you’ll find a treasure trove of half-baked ideas and unbuildable machines that will never see the light of day. That’s no bad thing… For without those flights of fancy, we’d find ourselves settling for the lowest common denominator and that’s something I’ve never been able to do. Being a designer of Jaguars is the best job in the world but it brings with it great responsibility. You need to have a true understanding of what has been before, the cars that have shaped our company for more than 75 years. But you also need to be able to translate those lessons of the past into designs that drive our marque forwards. Those lessons aren’t to be found in dusty text books or old car magazines. They are there whenever you stop and look at the great Jaguars that have come before. In their aesthetic, their engineering and their manufacture, they changed the way we considered automotive design.
Their aerodynamic properties were ground-breaking. Their engines and chassis were stateof-the-art. Their technologies – like disc brakes – shaped the world of motoring. These lessons of the past mould the Jaguars of the future. But they’re not the only thing. It also helps to have a sense of adventure and a love of cars… That’s why Project 7 was a concept I was so happy to back when I saw what Cesar Pieri had created. We live in a world where so much is calculated and measured to find the correct solution, but we need creativity and imagination to move forward. We can only measure what we know. It is what we don’t know that is the most fascinating part of life. Project 7 is the perfect example of this philosophy. At a mechanical level it comes from something we know – the new F-TYPE. But its creative inspiration comes from the sort of things car designers dream about – motor racing, cutting-edge technology and performance that will leave you breathless. What’s the purpose of Project 7? That’s simple: to be driven fast and enjoyed. It captures the Jaguar spirit in its purest form. Like every Jaguar should.
‘WE’RE ALL PETROL-HEADS AT HEART...’ JAGUAR DESIGNER Cesar Pieri is the man whose experimental sketch led to the exciting new Project 7 design concept that was shown to world for the first time at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Project 7 was a design study that
Pieri admits he never expected would see the light of day, however: “When Ian Callum saw my early sketch of the car it just snowballed from there. It shows that deep down the Jaguar design studio is full of petrol-heads and it’s credit to
Ian that he encourages us to always push the boundaries.” Project 7 is a single-seater ‘roadster’ based on Jaguar’s acclaimed new F-TYPE, which has won numerous awards since its launch, including the coveted World
Car Design of the Year 2013. Its unique styling includes a D-type-style fairing behind the driver’s head, a carbon-fibre rear wing, lowered windshield and a single bucket seat with four-point racing harness.
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PROJECT 7 ENGINE 5.0-LITRE V8 SUPERCHARGED
TRANSMISSION 8-SPEED QUICKSHIFT
P OWER 550PS
TORQUE 680Nm
0-60MPH 4.1 SECONDS
TOP SPEED 186MPH (LIMITED)
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WE HAVE LIFT OFF! ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND STUNNING LOOKS PROJECT 7 IS A fully-functional, high-performance sports car that is as technologically advanced as it is stunning to look at. Based around the Jaguar F-TYPE’s high-tech, all-aluminium body architecture, it enjoys the same acclaimed handling characteristics and driving dynamics as the car on which it is based, the supercharged F-TYPE V8 S. Project 7, however, also features some additional changes under the skin, courtesy of the F-TYPE engineering team and Jaguar’s renowned Chief Engineer for Vehicle Integrity, Mike Cross. Together they have created a range of modifications that mate Jaguar’s most powerful production engine – a 550PS supercharged V8 – with the F-TYPE’s 8-speed Quickshift transmission to give
Project 7 immense straight-line performance: a 0-60mph sprint time of 4.1 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 186mph. To give the roadster even greater grip and stability at its maximum speed, Project 7 sports a wide range of aerodynamic modifications including a carbonfibre front splitter, side skirts and large rear diffuser plus a fixed rear spoiler with a 14-degree angle of attack to generate significant downforce. A 10mm lower ride height and a unique spring/ damper tune only add to the car’s dynamic poise. A straight-through, stainless steel, ceramic-coated exhaust delivers an unapologetic racing soundtrack, boosting decibel levels while maintaining powertrain sound quality and delivering an evocative high-rev scream.
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BEHIND THE WHEEL
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With the increase in power and torque, Project 7 features a recalibrated 8-speed Quickshift transmission which delivers drive to the rear wheels through the F-TYPE’s electronic active differential. The result is a car that can scream from standstill to 60mph in 4.1 seconds.
with Mike Cross FROM THE MOMENT you fire Project 7 into life you know this is no ordinary car. Its exhaust is sharp and loaded with intent. And behind the wheel it’s the most visceral and involving drive you can imagine.
In engineering terms the changes we’ve made are performance-driven. The engine is 55PS more powerful than the fastest F-TYPE on sale today and the Quickshift transmission has been recalibrated to suit that extra power. Off the line it takes your breath away – 4.1 seconds to 60mph is really, really fast. And it handles as well as it accelerates. That huge rear wing, lowered body and stiffened suspension mean it turns in hard and fast, almost like a race car, and it goes exactly where you point it. Project 7 brings a smile to the face of everyone who sees it. From the driving seat the result is just the same!
.01 Jaguar’s acclaimed 5-litre supercharged V8 engine is at the heart of Project 7. Recalibrated to produce 550PS and 680Nm of torque, it also sports a free-flow exhaust system.
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Project 7 boasts just one deep bucket seat and a four-point harness - like the Jaguar Le Mans racers of the 1950s. In place of the F-TYPE’s second seat sits a purpose-built holder for the car’s bespoke helmet - which comes with its own quick release buckle!
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FROM C-X16 CONCEPT TO F-TYPE TO PROJECT 7
GENESIS OF A JAGUAR ICON PROJECT 7 IS AN EXCITING evolution of Jaguar’s F-TYPE sports car, whose lines were first hinted at in the C-X16 concept car at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Jaguar’s vision for a 21st sports car blended sensual design with agility and inspirational performance. A one-plus-one seater with pure muscular lines and a striking, hi-tech interior in vermilion red, C-X16 was the star of the show and set in motion the build-up to the launch of something special... A year later, Jaguar unveiled the production F-TYPE at the Paris Motor Show, a jaw-droppingly beautiful two-seater convertible sports car based on the C-X16. It won critical acclaim, magazine road tests and awards aplenty. With its sinuous form, intuitive handling and a range of three powerful engines producing between 340 and 495PS, the F-TYPE is the essence of what Jaguar sports cars are all about. For more information visit: f-type.jaguar.com
HOW TO SHOOT... CARS! TOP TIPS FROM PROJECT 7 PHOTOGRAPHER JOHN WYCHERLEY
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C-X16 CONCEPT Debut: September 2011, Frankfurt Motor Show 3.
JAGUAR F-TYPE Versions: F-TYPE, F-TYPE S, F-TYPE V8 S Debut: September 2012 Engines: Supercharged 3.0-litre V6 or supercharged 5.0-litre V8 Power: 340PS / 380PS / 495PS Torque: 450Nm / 460Nm / 625Nm 0-60mph: 5.1 sec / 4.8 sec / 4.2 sec Top speed: 161mph / 171mph / 186mph (limited)
PROJECT 7 DESIGN STUDY Debut: July 2013 Engine: Supercharged 5.0-litre V8 Power: 550PS Torque: 680Nm 0-60mph: 4.1 sec Top speed: 186mph (limited)
1. Time it right. Cars look great in the ‘magic hour’ after sunrise and before sunset. You want rich, horizontal light from a low sun – or reflected from lighter-coloured buildings. Avoid midday, with the sun right overhead and casting hard shadows, but if you must, your fill flash (forced flash, not auto) will help, while a polarising filter cuts excessive reflection. 2. Keep it interesting. Normal eye-level shots can be boring. Try different viewpoints, from low (kneeling, lying down) to high (on a stepladder, wall or balcony). As well as the complete car, shoot close-up (wings, wheels) and highlight details (badges, curves, vents) with tight crops or depth-of-field. Many cars have a distinct personality: exaggerate these features with a wider angle lens. 3. Clean it up. Avoid/remove distractions (road markings, litter, people, plants) from the foreground and background. Shoot clean, shiny cars against plain backgrounds such as walls, tarmac or blue sky. Alternatively, let dramatic backgrounds, such as towering clouds, dominate your frame. Or set up a lively contrast with other cars, people or interesting objects. 4. Get moving. Capturing motion makes a photo come alive. A pan shot keeps the moving car in focus while blurring the background. Move your camera from one side to the other, in the direction of the car’s travel, as you shoot. Practice matching the rate of your movement with the car’s. 5. Tell a story. At an event, capture the atmosphere and behind-the-scenes action; at races, look out for the start and finish, slides, smoke and impacts, the proximity of cars and juxtaposition of bright colour schemes.