Jaguar to debut F-Type based and D-Type inspired Project 7 at 2013 Goodwood FoS

Jaguar recently launched the sharp looking F-Type in India. The car was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show and has been a major success for the British luxury carmaker. Now as a part of its entrants for the 2013 Goodwood festival of speed, Jaguar has unveiled a one-off ‘Project 7’ based on the F-Type roadster. The car will be showcased at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that commences today, along with the XJR, XFR-S and XKR-S GT models.

The Project 7 has been named in honour of the seven Le Mans victories by Jaguar between 1951 and 1990. It has the same 5.0-litre, 550-horsepower supercharged V8 and 8-speed paddle shift gearbox as the standard F-Type. The car gets a number of carbon-fibre aerodynamic bits and a new front facia. The car also flaunts a lowered windshield and sits on a set of 20-inch forged-alloy wheels with carbon fibre inserts. The driver is anchored by a four point harness and sits on a composite seat lowered by three cm as compared to the production F-Type.

But beyond the car’s facts and figures, Project 7 pays homage to the most iconic Jag; the D-Type. The classic rear fairing with integrated rollover hoop, the single-seat cockpit setup and the blue paintwork are all reminiscent of it. Jaguar claims the beast went from the drawing board to track testing in only four months with the process meticulously monitored by Jaguar's director of Design, Ian Callum.

The fact that the passenger seat was replaced with a helmet holder demonstrates the purity of purpose behind the development of this prototype. The Goodwood Festival of Speed will showcase a number of exclusive and iconic machines, and this one, definitely sits right up there.