We've been chasing reports of a new Jaguar roadster for the better part of a decade, and though the name and specifications continue to change, reports of the car's production are unceasing. Now that it's apparently reviving the old C-Type name, more details are being reported as the car inches towards its rumored 2011 debut.
Originally known as the F-Type Concept, the car more recently took on the rumored name "XE," following Jaguar's current naming convention. Auto Express now reports that the car will instead be called the C-Type, reviving the moniker once used on racing XK120s back in the early 1950s. It's fitting, given the rumors that the C-Type will be built on a shortened XK platform.
Rumors of the C-Type's design have also swung about from a production version of the retro-inspired F-Type Concept to our most recent renderings that made the car out to be a shortened, updated XK. Now, the latest renderings of the car instead portray an even bigger change, one in which the nose of the all-new XJ and rear of the XF appear to have been grafted to a shortened XK. If the rumors are to be believed, the car will be offered as a hardtop coupe or a soft-top convertible, will be smaller than the XK and similar in size to an Audi A5, and seat four.
Also constantly in flux are the rumored engines that will power this Boxster/SLK/Z4 fighter. Rumors have swung from a 450-hp V-6 and supercharged four-cylinder of unknown origin to the V-8s currently found beneath the hoods of the XK, XF, and XJ. At the moment, rumors have settled on the most likely scenario: the V-8 engines that Jaguar already has at its disposal. That means a naturally aspirated, 385-hp V-8 would be the base engine and European offerings would likely include the brand's twin-turbo diesel. Rumors also suggest an R edition that would get the 500-hp supercharged V-8 that powers the XKR and XFR.
The C-Type could debut on the 50th anniversary of its inspiration, the E-Type, at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Or it could not.
Thanks to: Motor Trend
