Jaguar Concept Cars

Jaguar C-XF

Like all automakers, Jaguar has come out with many concept cars; some go on to be production car and some remain a concept car forever.  Jaguar's latest is called the C-XF (Concept XF).  Looking back at the history there were plenty of daring moves from Jaguar.  The C-XF attempts to continue on Jaguar original lineage. The Jaguar design team identified the key qualities that made old Jag sedans gorgeous and would make new Jags great. The C-XF carries an excellent engine, the 4.2-liter supercharged V8, which is found in all of Jaguar?s high performance "R" vehicles. It makes 420 horsepower and has 368 lb-ft of torque driving the 21-inc h rear wheels. Because all big Jaguars are shifted via an automatic, the C-XF gets a six-speed ZF gearbox with paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. Jag says that the C-XF could theoretically top 185 mph, given a long enough road.  The C-XF is a smoothly surfaced car, its flanks deep, gently curved, and unencumbered by door handles (which pop out when activated).  The C-XF is an exaggerated, stylized version of the production car, which will be called the XF. It also has a typically over-the-top concept-car interior, featuring lots of brushed aluminum, shapely minimalist seats, carbon-fiber-patterned leather, blue electroluminescent lighting, leather floor covering and-novelty number one-burned wood.  But the interior detailing doesn't end there.

The C-XF is packed with the kind of gimmicks that represent the designer imagination and creativity to the fullest.  The aircraft-style instruments are neat, when the driver engages Dynamic sports mode, the tachometer physically moves towards the driver putting it in a more prominent display. The engine-start button pulsating glow represents a beating heart. Once the starter button has been pushed, the aluminum rings that surround the circular gear selector drop down, allowing the driver to operate the transmission. There are great big slabs of ash wood that top the aluminum center console, but they've been scorched for a unique satin finish and color. Likewise, instead of the expected burled wood veneer dash there's lots of brushed aluminum metal. The C-XF's dashboard and seats are wrapped in carbon-fiber patterned semi-aniline leather. Unlike any current Jaguar, the C-XF has ambient lighting that beams not just from the doors, but from under the dash and console as well. Those who ride in back get their own LCD displays and headphones.

On the exterior the door handles are unique.  Using a system called JaguarSense, the car uses motion sensors that detect hand movements and then pop the door handles out.  The C-XF doesn't have the typical big, chrome grille flanked by four round headlamps and crowned by a leaping animal. It does not have a flat roof with a long, shallow trunk. Instead, the C-XF has the kind of curves that are more fit for the XK sports car than a midsize sedan. From the front, it's aggressive, with narrow headlamps, a hood that's bulging in multiple places and a big, horse-collar grille.

Jaguar says that the C-XF won't be hitting the road in the form you see.  But the production car that follows shares many of the concept's qualities.  The R model will have the 420-hp supercharged V8 engine.  It'll be similar in length and width but higher and with a narrower track.

Here are some of Jaguar's previous concept cars:

Jaguar XJ220 (1988)

The XJ220 exists as an actual Jaguar, and notoriously so holding the production car top speed record until the McLaren F1 arrived in the early 1990s. But 'XJ220' was also its working concept title. And in true concept style, the car shown at the 1988 Birmingham Motorshow differed significantly from the final customer versions  featuring four-wheel drive and a bespoke 6.2-litre V12 derived from Jaguar's racing engines.   The concept XJ220 was initially intended to crack 220mph, but 'only' managed 217.

Jaguar XK180 Roadster Concept (1998-1999)

A concept with no final product, the stunning XK180 Roadster was originally shown in right-hand drive form at the Paris Motorshow in autumn 1998. It received a critically acclaimed reception with the concept's speedster lines, wrap-around windscreen and double-bubble rear deck.  By the time the Detroit Motorshow came around in January 1999, engineers from Jaguar's Special Vehicle Operations created a new fully functioning prototype adapted to appeal to the American market.  Despite the highly positive reaction, Jaguar quickly dashed any hopes of a production version claiming the XK180 would simply be too expensive to build.

Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupé (2005)

Revealed in 2005, the Advanced Lightweight Coupé, carries a bit of an odd name. It's also perhaps the most significant; Jaguar used this concept to demonstrate their super new lightweight and advanced aluminum chassis construction techniques. But it also revealed the virtually production ready form of the current XK, with little more than detail changes separating it from the final reality.

Jaguar F-Type (2000)

The F-Type was the most compact sportscar Jaguar had shown in 40 years. Combined with the obvious XK180 influences, and the insistence on using existing Jaguar components there were ideas that this one might go into production.  Such a car represented an opportunity to enter a lower-priced sports car sector and bring a younger audience to the brand. Yet elements of this concept were never intended to get further than the show floor and Jaguar official dropped the project in 2002.

Jaguar RD-6 (2003)

The RD-6, with its chopped-tail appearance and stern front end, has some unusual features going for it. That it follows on from the R-Coupé in attempting to establish a more modern Jaguar identity is plainly apparent: under the hood is a diesel engine. The concept's engine was good for 230bhp and 369lb ft of torque. Helped by lightweight aluminum and composite construction, it went 0-62 in about 6 seconds. Never really a candidate for production, it is still another step towards the more angular body-shaping of the C-XF. To view present Jaguar production models, see the official Jaguar site.

Jaguar R-Coupé (2002)

The R-Coupé concept mates an unmistakably Jaguar face to an aggressive, two-door coupé body that still looks contemporary some five years later. But the R-Coupé was never intended for production; it was completely distinct from any existing Jaguar platform and was merely supposed to hint at the brand?s future design direction. First shown at the New York Motorshow in 2002, it featured a rear-wheel drive V8 powertrain, sumptuous seating for four, and solid silver detailing. For more pictures of Jaguar's newest concept, view autoblog.com's review of the Jaguar C-XF.