Jag-inspired Growler E set for production

News of this funky looking E-Type inspired Growler E broke last week. TopGear now brings word the car will be going into limited production.

To bring you up to speed, the Growler E was created as a tribute to the classic Jaguar E-Type, which was first presented 50 years ago at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. The 21st century Growler concept has been created by Swedish designer Bo Zolland from Vizualtech, in collaboration with Swiss designer Robert Palm. The pair got creative at the behest of a nameless and apparently wealthy businessman from Sweden.

The Growler E is based on a current model Jag XKR and has had the wick on its 5.0 litre supercharged V8 turned up from 510hp to 600hp. That’s easy enough to do thanks to a bit of ECU tweaking. The clever part comes in shedding 200kg of weight from the XKR and reaching a target weight of 1550kg for the Growler E. The clever clogs from Vizualtech reckon that should be enough to get their creation to 100km/h in under four seconds.

So, back to the production plans for the car. Spokesman Robert Palm reckons they should have their first car ready in a bit over 12 months from now. Each model will be hand built and may take as long as six months to assemble.

As for pricing, well it all depends on the number built. If only a handful are made expect to pay around £850,000. If demand is high enough, though, Vizualtech may consider contracting production to Magna Steyr in Austria (they make the MINI Countryman). That being the case costs could fall by around half.

[Source: TopGear | Thanks to Adam for the tip]

UPDATE: AUSmotive contacted Robert Palm for more info and he’s replied with some good material. Check it out after the break.

Extra information and pics sourced via email exchange with Robert Palm:

The first car will be ready in the summer next year if planning goes as expected. More cars will take approximately 6 months each to build and not more than 3 or 4 cars can be built simultaneously with the current structure. If demand is overwhelming, we might contract specialists like Steyr in Austria or Valmet in Finland (like Fisker). But really it’s too early to say right now.

The interior is still under development, we don’t have suitable pictures of it. But I can already tell you it will be as stunning as the exterior. Even if most components are taken from the XKR, it will be hard to tell at first sight.

Pricing depends on production, hand-made cars may cost between 750’000 and a million Euro each. If small series production is started, the price may be around 500’000 Euro. The very first car will cost a lot, lot more (final cost undisclosed).

Original press release from late February.

Growler E 2011 – Rebirth of a legend

In 2011 the legendary Jaguar E-Type will celebrate its 50th anniversary, as it was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961.
On the occasion of this anniversary and upon the request of a Swiss businessman who wishes to stay anonymous, the designers Bo Zolland from Vizualtech and Robert Palm have developed an exceptional sports car inspired by the legend.

Based on the Jaguar XKR with a supercharged 5.0 Litre V8, the Growler E 2011 Concept produces 600 hp instead of the 510 hp of the XKR, thanks to engine remapping. The composite body is glued on a chassis made of a central carbon fibre core, on which two tubular frames are bolted at the front and rear, supporting engine, steering, transmission and suspensions. The majority of the components and the interior gear are taken from the Jaguar XKR. Thanks to a lighter chassis, the weight is only 1550 kg, about 200 kg less than the Jaguar XKR, which serves as technical basis.

Its expected performance should therefore be sensibly better than the Jaguar XKR, which is already extremely fast. 0-100 km/h should stay under 4 seconds.

Everyone doesn’t like the direction taken lately by Jaguar design, initiated by the Jaguar XF and confirmed by the new XJ. There are still many friends of the noble English brand who are nostalgic of the sensual shapes of the XK 120, Mark II, XJ6 and, last but not least, the fantastic Jaguar E-Type. This project was born in the mind of one of these nostalgic fans, who wanted to see the original style again, but up to date and with the latest technology.

The Growler E 2011 Concept is destined to remain unique. However, if there is some demand, a small series could be built by hand, for an unknown price.

Vizualtech is a Swedish design studio, founded by Bo Zolland in 1999.
Robert Palm is an independent designer based in Switzerland.