Published: Sep 10, 2012

Jaguar Testing Five C-X75 Prototypes

The Leaping Cat marque will only offer 200 examples of its latest hybrid supercar, but to get there it is building five prototypes to test the concept.

Jaguar may not be the first to come to mind among names like Ferrari and McLaren when you think about supercar manufacturers, but the British marque is keen to revive the image it made for itself with the record-breaking XJ220 with the upcoming C-X75. The Indian-owned British automaker wowed crowds at the Paris show two years ago when it showcased the C-X75 concept, but now it is gearing up to put it into production - starting with five prototypes now under construction.

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The test vehicles will be used to validate the vehicle's performance, which is projected to be downright otherworldly. Like the upcoming successors to the McLaren F1 and Ferrari Enzo, not to mention the Porsche 918 Spyder and others, the C-X75 is an advanced hybrid. But while the concept car used a pair of micro-turbines (read: really small jet engines) to boost the electric motors, the production version will use a high-strung 1.6-liter four. With input from the Williams F1 team, the little engine is slated to produce 500 horsepower for a 0-60 time in under three seconds and an electric-only range of 37 miles.

The drivetrain is expected to showcase new downsized engine technologies which Jaguar Land Rover is currently developing, although the engine in the C-X75 will only be related to the mass-production engines by concept. While the propulsion may have changed, the design is expected to mirror the show car's, only with more vents. Once it's ready and those five validation prototypes have shown what the hybrid setup can do, Jaguar will build just 200 examples of the production C-X75, each carrying a million-dollar-plus price tag.