Jaguar’s stillborn supercar revived for James Bond

Two years ago when Jaguar declared its deliciously evil-looking C-X75 Prototype wouldn’t make it to production, we were more than disappointed.

However, it has now been revealed the C-X75 will be built for the upcoming James Bond epic, Spectre, as the choice of wheels for the movie’s central villain.

If your memory’s hazy, the C-X75 was a 675kW supercar prototype spearheaded by then Jaguar Boss Mike O’Driscoll. It used a heavily tuned hybrid drivetrain developed by Williams – the Formula One team – with a 1.6-litre engine.

However, according to Autocar which broke the news, the C-X75 will feature Jaguar’s snarly supercharged 5.0-litre V8 instead of the complex hybrid drivetrain.

Jaguar is avoiding confirmation of its involvement in the film, telling Autocar that announcements will be revealed next year. Cagey as Jaguar might be, the whole situation fits nicely with its current “Good to be bad” advertising campaign.

Then there’s Aston Martin, which will officially be building 10 exclusive DB10 prototypes to star in the film, pushing the hashtag “Good to be Bond’ on Twitter.

This hashtag hints that the recently revealed DB10 will be Daniel Craig’s ride of choice in Spectre.

Despite its ‘DB’ badge, the 10 is based on a V8 Vantage – Aston’s cheapest and smallest offering – but underneath its evocative shape a Vantage’s wheelbase has been lengthened and its width fattened. The donor car’s 4.7-litre V8 still resides under its bonnet.

Easy with those cheque books though. It’s reported Aston Martin won’t build more than 10 cars, all exclusive for the movie, most of which will end up on a flat-bed.