• HOME
• 
• AUTO LISTINGS
• 
• FINANCE
• 
• NEWS
• 
• DIRECTORY
• 
• REVIEWS
• 
• FORUM
• 
• BLOG
• 

2003 Jaguar Fuore XF10 Concept

Swinging the Cat by the Tail

What do Spain, Austria and Britain have in common? The Jaguar Fuore XF10 Concept - or more correctly the Fuore Jaguar XF10 Concept as its not officially a Jaguar project, albeit the British marque agreed to let the Spanish company use its revered name and badge.

Fuore, a new Barcelona, Spain based design house that started in 2000 by Austrian Erwin Himmel, hopes to entice Jaguar into building something similar to his new creation, although he admits that his fantasy project most likely will not be taken too seriously by the staid British marque.

The

Although not officially a Jaguar project, the British marque has allowed the Fuore Jaguar FX10 Concept to use its name and badge. (Photo: Fuore)

XF10, launched at this years Barcelona Motor Show, isnt Fuores first radical approach to design. It was preceded by the Pajero Evolution in 2001, which despite its name ironically evolved into the 2003 Paris Dakar winning Pajero, also a Fuore design. The company

Fuores 12-person design team was also responsible for the Subaru B11 S. (Photo: Fuore)

was also responsible for the Subaru B11 S, initially penned internally at Subaru but then massaged heavily by Fuores 12-person design team.

Himmel learned his skills studying architecture at the University of Graz and vehicle design at the Londons Royal College of Art. It wasnt all school without any practical experience though, having honed his craft further at Audi, on the team that designed the

The XF10 concepts naturally-aspirated, 40-valve, DOHC engine produces a stimulating 640-hp. (Photo: Fuore)

Audi quattro Spyder for one. He ran a secret Volkswagen Group skunk works studio in Munich, with such notables as J. Mays, and was rumored throughout the years to be the heir apparent for Skoda design, a VAG division, and then Fiat Stile, or was he the man to set up Mitsubishis Barcelona studio. Neither, as it seems, with Fuore Design the proof of his more recent exploits.

So why the name XF10? The X is pretty straight forward, paying respect to Jaguars rich heritage

Could the XF10 be the heir to Jaguars XJ220 supercar, long since out of production? (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

building two-place sports cars. The F refers to the brands current Formula 1 involvement, while the number 10 simply stipulates how many cylinders are under the rear decklid - also F1 related.

All in all the car is pure exotica, a completely frivolous 2-seater with 100-hp more muscle than a Dodge Viper, and that at 1.3 liters less displacement. The actual 427 cubic inch (7.0-L) capacity should be music to the ears of Cobra fans, but its V10 configuration is anything but retro. The naturally-aspirated, 40-valve, DOHC engine produces a stimulating 640-hp, driving

"You could say [the FX10s] styling and refinement make it more of a gentlemans car than the Ferrari [Enzo]." (Photo: Fuore)

the rear wheels via a 6-speed sequential gearbox.

No doubt its quick, especially when factoring in its 2,976 lb curb weight. Zero to 60 mph should be under 4 seconds, with its top speed nearing 210 mph.

The XF10s speed puts it right in line with one of Jaguars own supercars, the sexy XJ220 with its blistering 217 mph (349 km/h) top speed and 542-hp twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 - long since out of production. Now that Jaguar is seeing some relative success with its Formula 1 program, or at least its not fighting it out with the back markers as much as it did last season, the premise of a new supercar is at the very least feasible.

Page:  1  2

AUTOMOBILE REVIEWS BY MAKE

Acura  Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo