The Jaguar C-X75 – Hybrid Theory

Another Concept Car You Can’t Buy (Part 3)

The Jaguar C-X75 is a (now cancelled) hybrid supercar that made use of Williams F1 and Jaguar racing technology. It would have been the first Jaguar supercar since the Jaguar XJ220 in 1992.

Performance was expected to be circa 888 BHP and 0-100mph in around 6 seconds. Initially 250 models were planned with some earmarked for racing. The C-X75 was intended to display Jaguar’s prowess with new technology in a cutting edge sports car.

Developed as an homage to the classic racing Jaguars of the 1950s and 60s, this sleek supercar echoes the old XJ13, E-Type, D-Type and XJ220. The technology and mechanics are all focused firmly on the future.

Performance and Design 

The Jaguar C-X75 is powered by an all aluminium 1.6 litre petrol four cylinder. The engine was both turbocharged and supercharged to generate an astonishing 500 bhp at 10,000 rpm. Duel 194 bhp electric motors are fitted front and rear, powered by the 19kWh lithium battery just behind the drivers seat. The combined engines are mated to an 7-speed automated manual transmission. The electric engines were Jaguar’s own design and were lighter and more powerful than what was available to be bought in.

Jaguar C-X75 Gallery

Technology & Unique Features 

Unsurprisingly the CX75 boasts impressive tech features like the bonded carbon fibre chassis developed using expertise from Williams Advanced Technology. Also included was Jaguar’s “brake regeneration” technology which converts kinetic energy from braking into electricity stored in its battery pack which can be used later to boost acceleration or power accessories like headlights or AC units. The car originally had range extending gas micro turbine engines, but these were left off the final specification.       

“Even in the rain, the C-X75 feels every bit as fast as they say it is. Up to about 120mph, to be precise – to the top of fourth gear, until which point it could probably run with a Veyron. At least very close to one”

Matt Saunders – Autocar

C-X75 Cancellation

The project was cancelled in December 2012 due to the global economic crisis. Caterham and Lotus both cancelled projects at this time, reflecting the difficulty in timing the launch of a niche sports car.

The following year the so-called holy trinity of hyper cars were launched. The Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1 all appeared as limited edition supercars. Could the C-X75 have made it four?

The imminent launch of those cars may have influenced Jaguar’s decision to cancel the project. Even without a final car to show for the work on the C-X75, Jaguar representatives were certain that technology and learnings from the car would be carried over to Jaguar road cars.

“It seems the wrong time to launch an £800,000 to £1 million supercar,”

Adrian hallmark – Group Strategy Director Jaguar

Legacy of the Jaguar C-X75

While the cancellation of the C-X75 was disappointing, Jaguar felt it couldn’t launch an expensive super car during the global economic crisis. Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren would beg to disagree and all three launched their respective pièce de résistance the following year.

Jaguar had previous bad luck when the XJ220 super car was launched at the start of the 1990s recession. This left the company with cars it couldn’t sell, so perhaps this influenced the cautious decision to cancel the C-X75.

The C-X75 was never tested without Jaguar engineers on hand, so detail on how it drives is sparse. Autocar was very complimentary about the C-X75 and not just the straight line performance, but the way the car drove too.

It’s great that manufacturers want the experience of driving a car to remain fun and interactive even with pressure on emissions and carbon. The key aims of the project were incredibly ambitious, with the following benchmarks comparable.

C-X75 Benchmarks	C-X75 Actual Performance
Bugatti Veyron performance 0-60mph 2.5 Seconds 0-100mph 5.1 Seconds	0-60mph 2.8 Seconds 0-100mph 6 Seconds
Electric range to match a Chevrolet Volt (40 miles)	40 miles
Less carbon emissions than a Toyota Prius (90g/km)	(89g/km)

While it was cancelled, the C-X75 is a fascinating look into the future of hybrid sports cars and what we can expect. For power, fun and emissions, the CX-75 excelled on paper at least. I hope Jaguar can launch a car with some of it’s traits soon.

Jaguar C-X75
Engine:	1599cc i4 Turbocharged & Supercharged (With 2 Electric motors)
Power:	888 bhp
0-60:	2.8 Seconds
Top Speed:	N/A
Price when new:	N/A
Production:	N/A