As fans of Jaguar’s new F-type, we’re excited about the positive feedback the F-Type has generated in the media, especially as Jaguar has a lot riding on the new roadster.

EVO magazine UK gives the Jaguar F-Type V8 S a 4.5 rating calling it: “the most exciting British sports car in years”; whereas Autocar UK says: “There’s nothing basic about the entry level F-type”.

The Telegraph UK appears similarly impressed, stating that the two-seater soft top is “great looking, has a blood-curdling exhaust note and goes like a scalded (Coventry) cat.”

We think that sounds just purr-fect!

Today, Jaguar's Project 7 concept makes its dynamic debut at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“When you look at this car, it has got an enormous amount of appeal. It’s just full of desire – you can see that its sole purpose is to be enjoyed. Project 7 is a very special car – not just because it’s a one-off, but because of its purity of purpose. It’s pure Jaguar.”

Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar

Based on Jaguar’s acclaimed F-Type, Project 7 is a brand-new design study. A 550PS version of Jaguar’s 5.0 litre Supercharged V8 engine propels the sports car up to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, with a top speed of 186 mph, and the two-seater convertible’s blue paintwork is reminiscent of the victorious Jaguar D-types of 1956/1957.

We are very excited by this new development and hope Project 7 may lead to a repeat performance of Jaguar’s record seven wins at Le Mans.

See below a sneak peak of Project 7 completing its final shakedown before Goodwood (and, if you look carefully, you may even see a D-type in the film).

When in 2010 Jaguar unveiled the C-X75 concept to celebrate its 75th anniversary, it was the beginning of a new chapter in innovation and technological advancement. In just two years, Jaguar and development partner Williams Advanced Engineering, have evolved the car from a design study to a fully working prototype.

“The C-X75 programme represents the pinnacle of Jaguar's engineering and design expertise. It is arguably the world's fastest test-bed for the world's most advanced technologies, combining as it does a remarkable hybrid powertrain with awe-inspiring performance. Jaguar is always looking to shape the cars of tomorrow and with projects like C-X75 we are laying the foundations for the next generation of Jaguar innovations.” - Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar

The beautiful C-X75 is extraordinary in every way. It’s an all-wheel drive, plug-in parallel hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with the world's highest specific power engine and Jaguar's first carbon composite monocoque chassis.

Although, as a result of the global economic climate, in 2012 it was decided that the C-X75 would not enter full production, it was clear that it was a powerful showcase for Jaguar’s world-leading expertise; proving that the future of high-performance, low-emission driving can be exciting in every way.

With a 220mph top speed, the C-X75 is also capable of producing less than 89g of CO2 per kilometre, and can run with zero emissions for up to 60km.

The C-X75 programme demonstrates Jaguar's technical leadership at the very cutting-edge of automotive development and manufacturing, and allows Jaguar to stake an even stronger claim as the UK's most significant investor in innovative technology.

The great achievements in the development of C-X75 will be utilised in other areas of research and development, innovative future products and next-generation engineering for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

AT-A-GLANCE

• The Jaguar C-X75 is a state-of-the-art hybrid supercar with the efficiency of a low-emissions city car.
• The C-X75 can hit 100mph from standstill in less than six seconds and has a top speed of 220mph.
• It can emit less than 89g/km of CO2 and has a pure electric vehicle range of 60km.
• Its 502bhp, 1.6-litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder engine is one of the world's highest specific power output power plants at 313bhp per litre.
• The C-X75's two electric motors add a further 390bhp, for a combined output in excess of 850bhp

Spotted: the prototype of Jaguar’s new F-Type Coupe being road tested under heavy disguise.

There’s no denying that we’re very excited about Jag's stylish new sports car; even with the camouflage it’s looking good!

Jaguar has made no secret of the fact a coupe will follow the convertible and it’s expected that the car will go into production sometime in 2014.

The German motoring publication Auto Motor und Sport, recently published a leaked patent drawing of what is believed to be the production version of the F-Type Coupe. Rumour has it that the new F-Type will rival Porche’s iconic 911 Turbo and Audi’s R8 V10.

Purr-fect!

Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar, has been declared Interior Designer of the Year in the Automotive Interiors Expo Awards.

Commenting on the news, Callum said: “It’s an honour to receive this award. I find it hugely gratifying that I and Jaguar Design are being recognised for interior design.

“The interiors of Jaguars have always been very special places for me personally, and so it has been essential to create new, fresh ideas, while maintaining the warmth and fun that is true to the brand. We set out to create interior environments that not only work well, but create a sense of theatre and occasion. I am very proud of my team, having achieved this with such conviction and clarity in all of our current products: the XF and XJ saloons, the XK and, of course, the new F-TYPE sports car.”

Born in Dumfries, Scotland, Ian studied Industrial Design at Glasgow School of Art and tailored his talents with a two-year course in Automobile Design at the Royal College of Art.

His outstanding performance at the Royal College of Art led to him being recruited by Ford in 1978 and he spent 12 years working in the company's design studios, before going on to work at Ghia, TWR and Aston Martin.

Ian joined Jaguar in 1999 and under his direction, Jaguar Design have taken the brand into an exciting new era. Following concepts including the R-Coupe, RD-6 and Advanced Lightweight Coupe, within the space of just three years the Jaguar production range changed completely. The first of the new era of Jaguars was the aluminium-bodied XK, this being followed by the XF and current XJ saloons - each representing a further iteration of the marque’s bold new design language. That new design language has been further defined with the recently launched F-TYPE two-seater sports car.

Ian has received five honorary doctorates from universities around the world as well as being honoured as a Royal Designer for Industry by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

Movie star Steve McQueen famously said: “Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting.” Indeed McQueen’s passion for fast cars and racing will forever live on in his movies such as Bullit and Le Mans.

McQueen’s love for speed and his enviable collection of exotic sports cars were renown; amongst his cars was a 1957 Jaguar XKSS Roadster that McQueen must have been quite fond of as he purchased the vehicle twice. He first purchased the XKSS in 1959, sold it in 1969, and repurchased it in 1977. After that, the XKSS remained in McQueen’s personal garage until the actor’s death in 1980.

McQueen’s XKSS has the beautiful Moto-Lita D-Type steering wheel and it’s the only XKSS with polished wheels. The car also features a number of modifications requested by McQueen. First, he had the car painted British racing green. Secondly, he replaced the original interior with black leather, a custom job executed by Tony Nancy – world-famous drag racer, automobile upholsterer, designer and builder of hotrods. Thirdly, McQueen had a lockable door fitted to the glove compartment as the XKSS’ were delivered without one. For this job McQueen turned to his friend and pin-striper Von Dutch, who is famous for customizing vehicles. All these modifications make this 1957 Jaguar XKSS one of a kind.

Only 16 Jaguar XKSS’ were built before the factory and the moulds were destroyed by fire.

McQueen called his XKSS the Green Rat, and true to form, he drove it fast. While driving it, McQueen had his drivers licence suspended twice.

At the core, the XKSS is a limited edition, on road version, of the Jaguar D-Type racing car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, 1956, and 1957.

After Jaguar withdrew from racing, a number of D-type chassis remained at the Browns Lane factory; Sir William Lyons resolved to recoup some of the costs by converting a number of them to full road-going specifications.

Though the changes remained minimal such as a larger windscreen, a folding soft-top, a passenger side door, luggage grid and extra luxury trim, the vehicles did appeal to the lucrative American market for high-performance European sports cars.

Today the Steve McQueen 1957 Jaguar XKSS is owned by the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Of the original 16 XKSS' 12 were in attendance.

Purr-fect!

A stunning new art installation, inspired by Jaguar design and created by Royal College of Art students Ewan Gallimore and Claire Miller, was unveiled to an exclusive audience at the opening of the Clerkenwell Design Week, which runs in London from 21–23 May 2013.

The installation was created by RCA students in association with Jaguar’s Advanced Design team in Whitley, Coventry, using many of the technologies and facilities employed in the creation of Jaguar concept cars and production designs.

Jaguar, which is the primary sponsor of Clerkenwell Design Week, approached both the MA Vehicle Design and MA Textile Design Departments of the Royal College of Art with a brief to create a joint exterior and interior form study which expresses their vision of future Jaguar Design Language in either a sports or luxury context.

According to Ewan and Claire, “Jaguar has a long history of ground-breaking design so we knew we needed to create something truly special to catch the eye of Jaguar Advanced Design Director, Julian Thomson. We began the project by looking at light, specifically the way the light falls within the space at Clerkenwell. We thought about how our form could accentuate this light and convey volume through its use of materials and our knowledge of how these materials react with one another.”

Clerkenwell is the UK’s leading independent design festival.

Purr-fect!

Above: spy shots of the Jaguar F-Type Coupe released by AutoBlog.

Above: Jaguar C-Type, XK120 and F-Type to compete at the 2013 Mille Miglia

Jaguar has curated a unique team of drivers for its Jaguar Heritage Racing entry into this year's Mille Miglia classic car tour. Taking the seats of outstanding examples of Jaguar C-Type and XK120 heritage race cars will be six-time Olympic cycling Champion Sir Chris Hoy, global supermodel David Gandy, Le Mans 24 Hours race winner Andy Wallace, Chairman & CEO of 20th Century Fox Jim Gianopulos - who will drive with a film industry colleague, German actress Hannah Herzsprung, Italian Salvatore Ferragamo Jr., fashion icon Yasmin Le Bon and Michael Quinn, the grandson of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons.

This exciting list of classic car enthusiasts will be led by Jaguar Heritage Racing's own multiple race winner Alex Buncombe and motoring journalist Chris Harris, who will link up for the event in a Jaguar C-Type once owned by former Formula 1 Champion Juan Manuel Fangio.

Above: Jaguar C-Type to compete at the 2013 Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia is the pinnacle of classic motorsport, and the competitive event in 1952 saw Jaguar debut the disc brake on its C-type sports car, piloted then by Jaguar Chief Development Engineer Norman Dewis and Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss. Norman Dewis was with some of the 2013 Jaguar Heritage Racing team at Goodwood Motor Circuit this week, in a driver training session which was captured on film and now available to view and share below.

The line-up of three C-Type race cars and three XK12Os will be followed on the majority of the driving route by five new Jaguar F-TYPE sports cars.

Above: Jaguar XK120 to compete at the 2013 Mille Miglia

Jaguar Regional Director for Europe Bernard Kuhnt - who will drive with Hannah Herzsprung in the event - said: "Jaguar's 1952 entry into the Mille Miglia was hugely significant in the evolution of Jaguar products. Seductive design, intelligent performance and technological innovation were features of all Jaguar sports cars in the 1950s and 60s and they are prevalent in the incredible new F-TYPE. I am delighted that the Jaguar sports car 'bloodline' will be together in this great race and that such an exciting list of individuals will come together to celebrate the occasion and drive our cars."

Purr-fect.

The F-Type is sure to be a success, says Gover.

To understand the brawny new F-Type Jaguar you have to forget the classic E-Type. The new beast is a throwback to the D-Type racer than dominated at Le Mans in the 1950s, not a revival of the style-driven sweetie from the sixties.

It's tough and tightly-drawn, all about making an impact and going fast.

Jaguar has been missing a sports car from its lineup for just on four decades, but the success with the mid-sized XF and XJ limousine have provided the cash and credentials to finally get back to the sharp end of its business. And it's way, way more focussed than the lardy old XK.

VALUE

The F-Type is great news for sports car shoppers, since it is capable of going toe-to-toe with Porsche and makes Aston Martin's roadsters look dated and irrelevant.

It's not cheap, with a starting sticker of $139,000 for the basic supercharged V6 model and a top-end whack of $202,300 for the V8-powered S, but it is good value when you look at the Boxster S and 911Cabrio which are its obvious rivals.

The F-Type is strictly a two-seat convertible, packing everything from aircon and satnav to leather seats and alloy wheels that range from 18 to 20 inches. Its old-school folding canvas top does the job in 12 seconds at speeds up to 50km/h -- But 50 is just the start for a car which has been developed for fun runs on the world's favourite roads.

TECHNOLOGY

It's a classic roadster with the engine in the nose, and eight-speed automatic gearbox in the middle - but tuned by Jaguar and ZF to give manual-style shift feel and timing - and drive to the back wheels.

The engines start with the 3-litre supercharged V6 that makes 250 kiloWatts for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds, then the V6-powered S jumps to 280 kiloWatts and 4.9 seconds, with the supercharged 5-litre petrol V8 producing 364 kiloWatts for a sprint time of 4.3 seconds. The V6 S has a mechanical limited-slip differential and the V8 gets an electronic diff in the tail. There are no diesels and no fours.

Jaguar has done lots of honing and fine tuning, right down to switchable driving modes and active exhausts - twin tips on the V6s, four pipes for the V8 - that cut loose a banshee howl under acceleration and a fireworks performance of cracks and bangs on twisty roads.

DESIGN

The look of the F-Type has become familiar over the past two years and, in some ways, it's a bit like a HondaS2000 that's been in the gym. At least, that's my first impression.

But after two days I can see that it's another new direction for Jaguar's design team under Ian Callum, who refuses to be predictable or boring.

DRIVING

But the F-Type is all about driving, so here we go. The V6 is a nice car with a comfy cabin and enough power and grip for most drivers. The V6 S lifts the bar and is the Goldilocks car - just right - with real stonk in the engine room, the trick differential to drive you round corners, and the genuine speed that makes track laps in Spain both fast and rewarding.

The V8 S is something else again. It's a bit heavy in the nose, which means you have to think before you turn, but the punch is truly supercar fun. And the noise.

The F-Type is sure to be a success and Jaguar is already working on a coupe that will allow it to unleash an RS model that will be truly special. But, for now, the F is great, Jaguar is back in the sports car business, and the world seems right.

Jaguar F-Type V6 S

Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6, 280kW/460Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Thirst: 9.1L/100km, 213g/km CO2

Purr-fect!