► Latest spy photos capture hottest F-type
► SVR coupe gets four-wheel drive
► 5.0-litre V8, tipped for nearly 600bhp
Our spies have caught the best photographs yet of the new range-topping Jaguar F-type SVR Coupe coming in 2016 – with four-wheel drive, nearly 600 horsepower and the most aggressive aero kit yet seen on a Jag sports car.
Why four-wheel drive? Jaguar is positioning it against the Porsche 911 Turbo and S, arguing that the blown, all-wheel drive nine-eleven outsells the rear-drive GT3 by at least four to one. Nor does Jaguar have a motorsport programme to tap into, meaning it’s less wedded to RWD for its fastest road cars. Besides, the existing F-type R is so lairy that an even more powerful SVR model demands 4wd to keep all the extra power in check.
We’ve now spotted both coupe and roadster F-type SVRs being prepared by Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Vehicles Operation (SVO) skunkworks. Our latest spyshots capture the tin-top prototype in final production bodywork, right down to the power bump in the bonnet to accommodate the front differential. The earlier red and orange cars in our gallery above capture earlier test hacks. Click here to find out why Jaguar is expanding its F-type range with 4×4 AWD models and a manual transmission, confirmed at the November 2014 LA motor show.
Jaguar F-type SVR: the 4wd spec
Remember the Range Rover Sport SVR? That was the first standalone production car to come from SVO, the outfit designing more bespoke, and even faster, models to sit at the top of the family tree. Well, now the same logic is being applied to the Jaguar range.
The new rear wing, diffuser, hugely enlarged front air intakes feeding air to the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 and larger ceramic brake discs are all giveaways this is a warmed-up F-type.
It also appears to be sporting several aero addenda snaffled from the F-type Project 7, another product of the fledgling SVO division. The rear diffuser, for instance, is almost a carbon copy of that car’s. This makes sense from an engineering and cost perspective. The Project 7 is a limited-edition model and the Special Ops team is keen to share the learnings from that on more mainstream models.
Four exhaust pipes, large 20in lightweight alloys housing massive ceramic brakes and a new front air dam complete the physical makeover.
So what will power the Jag F-type SVR?
This car is registered with a 5.0-litre engine. Presumably this points to an evolution of the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 from the existing F-type R models. They produce 543bhp/502lb ft, while the Project 7 develops a further 25bhp from the same engine.
An SVR version would presumably have to nudge even nearer to a supercar-jostling 600bhp. We’ll find out for sure nearer the expected 2016 launch. The regular R models – if they can ever be described as regular – are likely to continue underneath the SVR model, CAR understands.
