It might’ve taken 14 years, but the Jaguar C-X75 that featured in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre has finally been made road-legal.
The C-X75, revealed at the 2010 Paris motor show, was signed off for production in May 2011.
But, in December 2012, the project was scrapped by Jaguar’s then global brand director, Adrian Hallmark, who said it was “the wrong time” to launch an $1.27 million supercar, in light of global austerity.
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That wasn’t the end for the Jaguar C-X75, though, which went on to feature as the signature car of villain Mr Hinx in the 007 movie.
It was actually one of several stunt cars used, just like this one-of-three 1997 BMW 750iL that was kitted for James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Plus this Lotus Esprit Submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me that’s owned by Elon Musk.
Following its movie appearance, an unnamed collector acquired the Jaguar C-X75 and commissioned designer Ian Callum to convert it for road use.
Under the hood it packs a twincharged (turbocharged and supercharged) 1.6-liter engine with two electric motors for combined outputs of 888 bhp and 590 lb-ft of torque.
But, for it to be approved for road use in the UK, it required several changes.
For starters, the Callum design consultancy had to fit E-marked glass, a quieter exhaust with catalytic converters, and genuine wing mirrors.
If you’re wondering why it needed wing mirrors – foam dummies were used for filming.
Then the firm had to reduce the panel gaps, remove the quick-release latches required for filming, and resurface the carbon-fiber finish on the bodywork.
That’s not all, though, as they also had to make small adjustments to the damping and ride height to make it easier to use on the road.
“Stunt cars are arguably the true stars, bringing to life the legendary scenes that stay with us as car enthusiasts,” Callum engineering director Adam Donfrancesco said.
“So few actually survive the rigors of filming [that] preservation was key whilst meeting the legislation, and it’s great we can reveal it to the enthusiastic Scramblers.”
The first road-legal Jaguar C-X75 will be displayed at the Bicester Scramble car meet in Oxfordshire, UK on 21 April.
