The Jaguar Supercar That Never Was: C-X75

Could this have been the modern-day XJ220?

If you’re not a Jaguar loyalist or not subscribed to Motor-Vision, you may have missed the news about Jaguar’s cancelled C-X75 supercar. This was really shaping up to be one fantastic-looking car with some impressive stats to back it but unfortunately, Jaguar had to let it go. Let’s learn why it was so special, what made it great and ultimately what lead to it being a failed dream.

800 horsepower, 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and it looks incredible. What’s not to love?

Of course, if you’re a James Bond fan, you may recognise this mighty machine from Spectre where it starred in a exhilarating car chase through the streets of Rome. This Jaguar supercar houses a 1.6L engine and 4 electric motors that may not sound impressive, but boasts around 800hp thanks to the hybrid technology and it being both turbocharged and supercharged.

The appearance is incomparably beautiful and like nothing Jaguar has ever made. I guess you could say that the rear end is somewhat reminiscent of the F-Type, but other than that, this is a one-of-a-kind design. Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren got off easy because if it was released it would be sure to steal the spotlight as the most magnificent supercar of the period. Unfortunately, there are only 5 working prototypes out there so don’t expect to ever see one in the flesh.

Emits less CO2 than a Prius but is as fast as a Ferrari

If you’re rolling your eyes at the mention of it being hybrid, do not fret. The C-X75 wasn’t electric-dependent and had a hybrid range of about 550 miles. Also, to the delight of old-school petrolheads, it didn’t sound like a hairdryer as many EVs do, it sounded like a real supercar.

So it had the advantages of being a hybrid (quick acceleration, low emissions of 28g/km CO2, great fuel economy etc.) without any of the negatives that come with it. One interesting thing about this cancelled masterpiece is that it was able to run on a range of fuels including diesel,  liquid petroleum gas (propane/butane), biofuels and compressed natural gas. Not many other manufacturers can say they’ve achieved that in any type of car, let alone a supercar!

Why was it cancelled?

The car was announced in May 2011 and was “produced” from 2013 to 2015. Sadly, Jaguar knew they wouldn’t release this car even before they started to make them. It all boiled down to the price and Jaguar felt that the hefty £800,000 price tag wouldn’t sit well with a world economy in recovery.

“We feel we could make the car work, but looking at the global austerity measures in place now, it seems the wrong time to launch an £800,000 to £1 million supercar. This is backed up by other products from us that people are screaming out for.” – Global brand director, Adrian Hallmark

I’m sure it’s more complicated than it seems but I can’t help but feel like it’s a pretty poor excuse for depriving us of what could have been the modern-day XJ220! Perhaps Ferrari paid them off because they were worried…