Forget electric, this should be the future of Jaguar

Jaguar is on the verge of a complete reinvention as an all-electric premium luxury brand, but another famous name may be doing the ‘Leaping Cat’ brand a better service.

TWR, the name made famous by Tom Walkinshaw in motorsport (including in Australia with the Holden Racing Team), has revealed the first product of its new era as a boutique design house – the Supercat. TWR made the Jaguar XJS a feared touring car in the 1980s Group A era, and now this new TWR has turned the XJS into a restomod stunner, complete with V12 engine – and not an electric motor in sight.

This new TWR is the work of Tom’s son, Fergus, who has partnered with designer Khyzyl Saleem and car-culture icon Magnus Walker to create the ‘Super-GT’ Supercat, which takes the elements of the XJS and turns them all up to 11.

“Almost 40 years after my father’s original company dominated the racetrack, we’ve brought the TWR name roaring back with our new Supercat,” Fergus Walkinshaw said. “Our debut product, designed as an authentic, analogue Super-GT for the committed driving enthusiast, has been developed for over three years by some of modern motorsport’s brightest talent.

Built on the foundations of the classic Jaguar XJS, it uses modern materials and production methods, plus our in-house supercharged V12, to deliver a visceral, immersive driving experience on the road and the track.”

While it may look wild, every element of the Supercat has been fine-tuned by a team of engineers from across the motorsport and automotive spectrum including McLaren, Williams, Ferrari and Porsche. For example, while Saleem designed the new body, a former Mercedes-AMG F1 aerodynamicist helped to ensure it was both functional as well as eye-catching.

The engine is a supercharged V12 that makes more than 490kW and 730Nm, a massive 280kW and 400Nm upgrade over the original XJS. It also ditches the standard three-speed automatic transmission for a new six-speed manual.

Inside the Supercat is a blend of original elements, such as the four-spoke steering wheel, but gets a completely digital dashboard, race-style pedals and other enhancements.

In a tribute to the original TWR’s victory in the 1988 Le Mans 24 hours with Jaguar, only 88 examples of the Supercat will be available. The car starts at £225,000 (approx. $438,000) and can be customised by each other, as every example will be hand-built in TWR’s new UK facility.