The Jaguar C-X75 has finally been made road-legal, some 14 years after it was revealed. Design company Callum, launched in 2019 by award-winning ex-Jaguar designer Ian Callum, has heavily re-engineered one of the original stunt cars used in the James Bond movie, Spectre.
- Jaguar C-X75 stunt car used had a 5.0-litre supercharged V8
- Unnamed collector acquired the stunt car and commissioned Callum
- Quieter exhaust and genuine wing mirrors among changes needed
Jaguar C-X75: history
The C-X75 was revealed at the 2010 Paris motor show and signed off for production in May 2011, packing a twin-turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors for combined outputs of 900hp and 800Nm.
However, the project was abandoned in December 2012. Jaguar's then global brand director Adrian Hallmark (now CEO of Bentley) said it was “the wrong time” to launch an GBP 800,000-1 million (about Rs 8.35 crore-10.5 crore) supercar, in light of global austerity.
But that wasn't the end of the C-X75 story, for it would go on to feature as the signature car of villain Mr Hinx in the 2015 film Spectre.
Jaguar C-X75: the road-legal one
Several stunt cars faithful to the concept were built by Williams Advanced Engineering. These used a tubular spaceframe chassis and Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, rather than the original concept’s complex and costly hybrid system.
An unnamed collector acquired this example – car number seven – and commissioned Callum’s eponymous design consultancy to convert it for road use. According to the Callum firm, obtaining Individual Vehicle Approval for UK road use required several changes.
For example, it had to fit E-marked glass, a quieter exhaust with catalytic converters and genuine wing mirrors to replace the foam dummies used in filming. It also reduced the panel gaps, removed the quick-release latches required for filming and resurfaced the carbon-fibre finish on the bodywork.
Under the skin, small adjustments were made to the damping and ride height to make it easier to use on the road. The first road-legal C-X75 will be displayed at the Bicester Scramble car meet in Oxfordshire on April 21.
Callum engineering director Adam Donfrancesco said: “Stunt cars are arguably the true stars, bringing to life the legendary scenes that stay with us as car enthusiasts. So few actually survive the rigours of filming [that] preservation was key whilst meeting the legislation, and it’s great we can reveal it to the enthusiastic Scramblers.”
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