- Callum Designs has made a second road-legal conversion of the Jaguar C-X75.
- The stunning coupe is powered by a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine.
- More than 1,000 hours of work were needed to perfect the body.
Jaguar’s supercar that never was, the C-X75, premiered at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Shortly thereafter, a production version was announced but never materialized due to the global recession. That wasn’t the end of the story since the gorgeous coupe went on to star in the 2015 James Bond Spectre movie. Earlier this year, the man who designed the car unveiled a road-legal conversion. Now, Ian Callum has finished another project.
This one too is one of the seven stunt cars manufactured by Williams Advanced Engineering for the 24th installment in the James Bond franchise. After filming wrapped up, four prototypes were sold to private buyers. Callum’s eponymously named company had the opportunity to work on one of those cars once again after turning chassis 007 into a street-legal machine. This time around, the designer of the C-X75 sought to bring chassis 001 even closer to what the supercar would have been if Jaguar had built it a decade ago.
The Willow Green bodywork alone took over 1,000 hours to finalize, which involved implementing active aero that kicks in after 37 mph. Another notable improvement is the addition of a hydraulic lifter on the front axle, allowing the vehicle to clear potholes and speed bumps without risking damage to its precious underbody. When it’s time to stop from high speeds, there’s now an air brake. New software improves ride quality after giving the C-X75 a license plate.
As with the other stunt cars built for Spectre, this C-X75 uses Jaguar’s supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine. The original concept had an entirely different powertrain since it used a turbocharged and supercharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with dual electric motors at each axle. In this new conversion, the mid-mounted eight-cylinder powerhouse routes its output to the rear axle through a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Inside, it’s a lot more civilized than the first conversion we saw in February. The three round screens on the center console remind us of the Bugatti Tourbillon. Callum Designs installed a new steering wheel machined from a solid billet of aluminum. There’s even wireless smartphone charging, Apple CarPlay connectivity, and a digital rearview mirror. Moreover, a roof-mounted console accommodates the start button and other controls.
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We reckon this is exactly the sort of car Jaguar needs to get back in the game. However, the ship has sadly sailed for internal combustion engines since the Tata Motors-owned brand is going fully electric. Production of most ICE cars has ended ahead of the brand’s rebirth in 2025 as an EV-only, ultra-luxury automaker. Meanwhile, the transition has been “hugely frustrating,” according to Jag’s managing director Rawdon Glover.
As a final note, we’ll remind you that the C-X75 isn’t the only exotic refurbished by Ian Callum and his team. Shortly after retiring from Jaguar to make his own company in 2019, the designer rejuvenated the original Vanquish with a special edition of 25 cars featuring over 350 changes.