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Gautam Sharma7 Aug 2014
NEWS

JLR to go big at Pebble Beach Concours

Jaguar and Land Rover plan a triple onslaught of debutants at annual Californian concours d'elegance
The annual Pebble Beach Concours in California has been steadily growing in global prominence, and Jaguar Land Rover aims to make the most of this year's event (from Aug 14-17) by debuting three all-new vehicles at the automotive extravaganza.
Set to be revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Kick-Off Party on Thursday, August 14, are the Range Rover Sport SVR – which recently set a lap record for SUVs at the Nurburgring Nordschleife – along with the US production version of the F-Type Project 7 and the first prototype of the Lightweight E-Type (modern-day recreations of the "missing" six Lightweights that were never built from the intended 18-car series in the 1960s).
All three vehicles are the handiwork of Jaguar Land Rover's newly created Special Operations division, which is essentially the British carmaker's riposte to the likes of Merc's AMG, BMW's M and Audi's RS divisions.
As such, the Special Operations division will focus on designing and engineering high-spec vehicles, bespoke commissions and branded goods to boost the company's profitability per vehicle.
SpecOps will also encompass a Ferrari Classiche-style restoration division, and the 'new' Lightweight E-Type (pictured) is the first recreation of the Jaguar Heritage team.
However, the biggest headline grabber at the kick-off party is likely to be the US production debut of the F-TYPE Project 7, an all-aluminium, fully road-legal two-seater roadster with bespoke carbonfibre aerodynamic aids. 
Although based on the F-Type, the Project 7 features a D-type inspired fairing, partly as a way of chalking up the 60th anniversary of the iconic racer. 
Meanwhile, the Range Rover SVR is the company's first vehicle to wear these three letters, and it paves the way for other similarly suffixed high-performance models that will follow in its wheeltracks.
Jaguar Land Rover isn't the only British manufacturer aiming to make an impact at Pebble Beach, as Aston Martin will use the event to unleash its Vanquish S Roadster, billed as the marque's most potent and fastest accelerating drop-top to date.
The V12 Vantage S Roadster is propelled by the latest version of the AM28 6.0-litre V12 engine, kicking out 422kW for a 0-60mph (0-96km/h) sprint of 3.9sec and top whack of 322km/h.
When it launches in global markets later this year, the new sportster will become the British marque's most potent, fastest and fastest-accelerating series production roadster to date. It will be showcased alongside a full-scale model of the DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo – a new, virtual-only GT racer that is available for GranTurismo6 owners to download.
Starting with a blank sheet of paper, Aston's designers and engineers worked for six months to create the new addition to the Vision Gran Turismo stable of race cars. The virtual racer packs a mid-mounted twin-turbo V12 that serves up 597kW, "endowing it with blistering performance fully in keeping with the high octane nature of the game".
Aston Martin also claims the DP-100 has an "exceptional level of detail with a fully functioning suspension system and state-of-the-art electronics".
Not to be outdone, Porsche has also planned a full schedule of events to coincide with the Pebble Beach Concours, offering existing and potential owners several opportunities to sample its full range of sportsters.
In addition, the Zuffenhausen carmaker's display at the Quail Lodge and Golf Club will feature this year's 24-Hours of Le Mans racers – the 919 Hybrid and 911 RSR – along with its new hybrid hypercar, the 918 Spyder.
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Written byGautam Sharma
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