The cat is out of the bag !

By KEN GIBSON
Motoring Editor


Published: 24 Jan 2008

JAGUAR are working on plans for a new two-seat sports car to take on Porsche.

And giving the new model the green light would be one of the first major decisions for Jaguar’s new owners, expected to be Indian firm Tata.

Jaguar have a history of making great sports cars - from the C-Type of the 50s to the legendary E-Type - and bosses believe that a two-seater would be a better bet than replacing the current X-Type saloon.

The X-Type has always struggled to compete with rivals like the BMW 3 series and Audi A4 but a pure sports car would appear to fit perfectly with Jaguar’s new sexier line-up led by the XK Coupé and the racy new XF.

In 2000, Jaguar came close to putting a sports car into production based on the F-Type Concept.

That won rave reviews when it was shown that year at the Detroit Motor Show - and was earmarked to take on the Porsche Boxter.



Drawing conclusions ... will new XJ be based on this sketch ?

Now designers and engineers are working on a bigger out-and-out sports car that would be a direct rival to the Porsche 911.

The car would be based on a shortened version of the all-aluminium XJ chassis, making it a very hi-tech and lightweight model with the performance and handling to match the Porsche.

The new model could be badged F-Type and would be aimed at full-on sports enthusiasts, leaving the current XK coupé/convertible to cater for owners wanting a more luxurious grand tourer.

If Jag’s new owners give the go-ahead soon after they take over - expected to be around Easter - the new model would hit showrooms in three to four years.

Jaguar’s next priority is a stunning new XJ flagship saloon that will be the most dramatic Jaguar ever.

I’ve dug out a sketch that Jaguar’s top designer Ian Callum did for The Sun in 2003 that I believe gives an insight into the new XJ, right.

Jaguar chairman Geoff Polites says he told his designers to “let your creative juices run free” and he reckons the result is the “best car I’ve ever seen”.

But a two-seat sports car would bring an added dimension to the Jaguar line-up and underline the firm’s revival, after the XF scooped What Car? Magazine’s Car Of The Year last week.

Although Jaguar refuse to talk about the sports car, Polites did confirm to me that the firm were looking at a number of options, including a two-seater. My humble advice to Jaguar and Tata is build the sports car.

It’s what traditional Jag buyers want and it would attract a whole new generation of customers to the famous brand.