To celebrate the big 7-5, Jaguar has rolled out its XJ220-inspired 780-horsepower C-X75 RE-EV (range-extended electric vehicle) concept. Power for this looker is supplied by electric motors working in conjunction with "micro gas-turbines", which also throw in 1180 lb-ft / 1,600 Nm of torque. Jaguar claims the 6-hour-to-charge plug-in sports car has a range of 560 / 900 km miles and an Lithium-ion-only range of 68 miles with a "potential top speed" of 205 mph (330 km/h).
The four 195-horse / 145 kW electric motors are mounted at the corners (one at each wheel) and provide torque vectoring, while the turbines - which can charge the batteries or add 188 horsepower in Track mode - are located centrally in a Texalium-lined compartment. Cooling for the turbines comes from the design of the car itself, which uses integrated channels to move air to the necessary areas.
Inside the car, people will find all the sport-lux essentials: leather, neoprene, soft-touch materials, polished and vapor-blasted aluminum, and seats mounted directly to the bulkhead "as in a single-seater racing car".
Then how does someone get into a comfortable driving position? Glad you asked; all the driver's essentials (steering wheel, gauges, etc.) move forward and then slide back for simplified ingress/egress through the out-and-up doors.
Taking a note from Saab and Spyker, there are a few aeronautical touches throughout the cabin a well. Examples include the gear shifter, a trick switch in the overhead panel that starts the car, and a "stealth" setting that reduces ambient lighting when in track mode.
Also found on the concept is "dramatic theater lighting" which lights up various areas of the car when the key fob is detected nearby, as well as certain interior areas (like the Bowers & Wilkins speakers) when the car is turned on.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Dr. Ralf Speth says, "Performance through innovation has always been a Jaguar hallmark. From the beginning, cars such as the C-Type and D-Type pioneered aluminum construction, aerodynamic design, racing monocoques and disc brakes. The C-X75 demonstrates that the company is still leading the field in automotive design and technology."
By Phil Alex
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