Jaguar C-X75 Prototype: Air Force run

This wasn’t a test drive we were about to refuse: not when it involves a prototype Jaguar on a runway. Under such conditions, the Jaguar C-X75 is a little like a Lear jet with its wings clipped, says Classic Driver’s Mathias Paulokat...

Remember the C-X75, which Jaguar unveiled in 2010? An expressive vision of a hybrid supercar – with micro gas turbines to recharge the batteries, four electric motors (one for each wheel) and a stunning wow factor of a design. Designed as a concept car (‘C’) of a purely experimental nature (‘X’), proudly paying homage to the 75^th anniversary (‘75’) of the marque from Coventry, the super-Jag disappeared after the celebrations, despite praise from pundits and press around the world. There was also the matter of the new Jaguar F-Type to demand everyone’s full attention. Originally intended for a small-series production run, in late 2012 Jaguar announced that due to global economic worries the C-X75 project would be cancelled.

But did the story end there? No – five prototypes were developed, to an engineering brief that sounds almost impossible. It went something like this: “Build a super-sportscar that looks as breathtaking as the C-X75.” Okay! “It needs to have the values ​​and driving abilities of a Bugatti Veyron.” Er… right. “And it should have the fuel economy of a Toyota Prius.” Sorry, what?! “Oh, and an electric drive with the same range as the Chevrolet Volt.” Yes, of course – anything else you’d like, while we’re about it? “Yup. You need to have the project completed within a year. Off you go then, guys.”

To cut a long story short, a year later and the prototype Jaguar is here – and by all accounts, the car fulfils the brief. The first thing to hit you is the way this super-Jag looks: damn good – so that’s Challenge 1 dealt with. If you happened to have a tape measure, you’d find that the prototype has virtually the same dimensions as the concept car, differing only where the functionality requires it – air-intakes, headlights, mirrors, wheels, and so on. But what about performance? Well, with 862HP and 1,000Nm of torque, the C-X75 catapults to 62mph in around 3.0 seconds and can manage a top speed just shy of 220mph. Not too shabby, then.

And how about the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius? Incredible as it might seem, for economy and emissions this hypercar matches them. As Jaguar developed the car as a feasible ‘plug-in hybrid’,  the gas turbines were discarded.  The C-X75 you see here now has a Formula One-inspired, turbocharged and supercharged, 509HP 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. When combined with the twin electric motors (totalling 300kW) and high-performance batteries, massive combined power is matched by amazing efficiency. It is complex, and the whole system relies on very advanced electronics and engine management. Running on electric power alone, the car has a range of 60 kilometres (around 37 miles). From an efficiency viewpoint, the car’s consumption is 3.8l/100km with CO2 emissions of 89g/km. This, by itself, is spectacular – and we have not yet described the driving experience.

Inside the cockpit, the driver is met with some familiar Jaguar instrumentation and an F-Type steering wheel. It’s a little cramped and claustrophobic but no dark cave, even wearing the mandatory helmet, and I am sitting 8 inches from the Tarmac. In ‘E-mode’ the Jaguar rolls smartly away, then the engine kicks in and it really goes forward. It’s brutally quick, insanely fast. Using the paddle-shift I flick the seven-speed gearbox through the gears, always shifting up at 10,000rpm. Each time the engine pulls the car along faster and faster.

It seems almost in an instant that the speedo is showing 180mph. The end of the runway is hurtling towards me, so I get on the brakes. Fast. In braking, the C-X75 is as impressive as when accelerating. And don’t forget that it’s more than capable of breaking the 200mph mark – even, maybe, 220mph. And, as an engineering project, it’s only 50 per cent finished. Anyone who thinks the XJ220 supercar of the 1990s was Jaguar’s final effort to join the ranks of the hypercar makers is mistaken. The C-X75 beats it, hands down. Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren, watch out. If this Jaguar hypercar goes into production, it won’t be just the makers of super-economical hybrids that have serious competition on their hands.

Photos: Jaguar

The stereotype of a Baja Trip. Behind the scene video.

Iron & Resin’s trip to Baja California,
you can read the full story & portfolio on Desillusion Magazine 41, available on ow.ly/nM6aW

Here a special edit the Iron & Resin Mexico run for Desillusion Magazine!

Music: Waylon Thorton – ‘Bottomed Out Bill’
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Ducati Pantah ‘Ducafé’ - Medaza Cycles

Hot on the heels of their recent AMD-winning Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone comes another killer bike from County Cork's Medaza Cycles. This time, Medaza front man Don Cronin has shifted his welding goggle gaze away from the metal of Mandello del Lario and towards the more southerly Italian town of Bologna and their Ducati Motor Holdings S.p.A. The result is this Pantah that has definitely had all traces of the plastic fantastic 80s removed from it and duly replaced with more cool than should legally be allowed for a single motorbike. We Ducafé - do you Ducafé too?

“The Ducafé was built the winter before last,” says Don. “Again by Mick O'Shea and myself, with input from another friend of ours Chris Harte. This bike too was built just for the fun of it and as a way of shortening the cold winter evenings here in the workshop.”

“The donor bike was a Pantah that Chris picked up a few years ago as a non-running project, but he never got around to doing anything with it and so he passed it on to Mick as a present. That tends to be the way we operate on our own bikes; working with what we have, inventing what we don't and exchanging whatever skills we need.”

“Pantahs are a fine bike, but a bit ugly in my eyes. Visually, the problems start with the frame which is strong and a great handler, but is very unsympathetic to the lines of the engine. Bettering Taglioni's frame design in terms of function would be difficult, but we definitely wanted a frame that looked better while retaining its handling ability. The stock wheel base and rake are retained, as are the twin rear shocks for that classic look.”

“The bike features modified V-Rod wheels, one-off aluminium bodywork, Aprilia forks with one-off yokes incorporating the modified original rev counter, one-off exhaust in stainless, exposed cam belts with polycarbonate guards and a seat covered in an old jacket of Mick's, all produced in-house. The bike is light and lovely in the twisties, has many thousands of miles up since the build including trips to the UK and France and gets used in all weather as it is just great fun to ride. I suppose it's really the big sister to Rondine; many of her styling cues were first developed on this bike.”

Medaza's Don Cronin (standing) and Mick O'SheaDon was keen to let us know that he has several project bikes lined up and waiting for potential builds, including a few Morinis, a Mark III Le Mans, another Nuovo Falcone, a Sportster and an unusual 1935 Raleigh V-twin that ‘would make an interesting trike.’ If anyone out there is interested in commissioning a build, why not head over to theMedaza website for more. And maybe you could grab yourself a Medaza t-shirt while you are there.

from PIPEBURN

Shelby Cobra V12

In the 1960s, Carroll Shelby thought it would be a good idea to take the British built AC Ace sports car and add a V-8 engine. The result was the iconic Shelby Cobra that helped to make the Shelby name. Today it’s a rare and very expensive machine that’s still as impressive a sight as it was back in the ‘60s. Thanks to the Cobra and the Ford Mustangsthat Shelby reworked over the years, the Shelby name is now associated with V-8 power but that hasn’t stopped Magnus Jinstrand from adding a V-12 to this example.

The Mercedes-Benz source V-12 engine was taken from a CL600 and produced 492bhp when new. The 6.0 litre capacity unit has been upgraded with a Lyshom 3500 twin-screw supercharger so the power’s now closer to 600bhp. The car’s aggressive looks have been enhanced along with the power thanks to a new rear diffuser and the addition of a rear wing, which was inspired by the Porsche 911 Carrera Cup racing car. This now makes the AC Cobra look more like a track-focused super car than a little British sports car, so we think that Magnus Jinstrand has done a good job with his conversion.

Jinstrand used parts from a Corvette and added Pirelli tyres to produce enough grip to keep the 600bhp on the road. The car was then tested at Mantorp Park in Sweden, which is where these images were taken. There was an overheating problem during the test but overall the car ran as expected, bringing a chill to the Magnus Jinstrand’s spine and a smile to his face.

Shelby Cobra V12

We would like to see the Mantorp Park test in a video as we’d like to listen to the V-12 soundtrack and see some tyre smoking slides which are inevitable when you put super car power through a sports car chassis.

via EUROCARBLOG