Welcome to the Hooniverse News – Mostly British Edition! This is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or the bull. I also throw in a little opinion of mine, just because I can. This week: 

• Jaguar Project 7 Concept speeds into Goodwood and our hearts

• McLaren 12C GT Sprint is everything you’d want from a track machine

• Caterham celebrates 40 years with the 620 R, their fastest yet

• BMW produces the final M3 Coupe

• Mullin Automotive Museum has a rare G.A.R. Type B5 Roadster to show you

Jaguar Project 7 Concept

[Filed under “cars that aren’t going to be produced but should”]

This is one of those rare-ish instances where I cover a concept car on The News. The Jaguar Project 7 Concept is a one-off design study based on the 2014 F-Type inspired by the Jaguar D-Type. Its single-seat, aluminum bodied goodness will make a rolling debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The Project 7 was created by a team led by Jaguar Director of Design, Ian Callum, who says the Project 7 is the purest example of Jaguar’s sports car DNA, built to offer exceptional performance (we’ll get to that in a bit) and a clean design. The F-Type (on sale now for ~$70,000) was already a looker, but add the fairing behind the driver’s head that incorporates a rollover hoop, a lowered windshield, a restyled front bumper, and functional carbon fiber elements like a front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser, and Jaguar’s got a design study sure to make many giddy with excitement… like me. The blue paint is also reminiscent of the victorious D-Types of 1956-57.

On the inside, a single composite seat with a racing harness and a helmet holder where the screaming spouse/friend/in-law used to be are provided. The interior also features custom carbon fiber trim pieces that line the center console, diamond-quilted leather seating surfaces, and machined aluminum paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. If it rains, too bad, because the cloth top is gone.

Now for the go-fast bits. The heart of the Project 7 is a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 borrowed from the F-Type V8 S and modified to produce 550 horsepower and 502 lb.-ft. of torque. The factory eight-speed ‘Quickshift’ automatic transmission takes care of power delivery while Pirelli P Zero tires wrapped in 20″ Blade forged alloy wheels provide the grip. 0-60 mph takes just 4.1 seconds while the top speed is limited to 186 mph.

The Jaguar Project 7 Concept will be going over the hill all three days during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which starts today. I’m throwing in this link to Jaguar Media’s photo gallery of the Project 7 because it’s worth it.

[Source: Jaguar] 

McLaren 12C GT Sprint

A new track-only version of the road-going McLaren 12C has been revealed. The McLaren 12C GT Sprint is designed to bridge the gap between the road-going 12C and the competition-spec GT3 models. The biggest improvements with the GT Sprint is in the handling and aerodynamic department, which McLaren says is about all it needs to offer a true GT racing experience.

Power output remains the same as the road car, with 616 ponies on tap from the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and paired with a stock 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. Enhanced cooling characteristics and an integrated fire extinguisher system are thrown in to keep it not on fire. The car is built around a lightweight carbon fiber MonoCell chassis and utilizes enhanced systems like ProActive Chassis Control, Brake Steer, and McLaren Airbrake to give the 12C GT Sprint unparalleled control for racing conditions. The car’s 1.5″ lower ride height, Pirelli slick tires, optimized aerodynamics in the form of a GT3-inspired bonnet with radiator exit ducts and front-wing louvers, and carbon ceramic brakes all contribute to GT Sprint’s track-day focus. The driver also gets to choose between three different handling modes that alter damping, roll stiffness, and traction/stability control.

Inside is an FIA-spec roll cage, lightweight racing seat with a six-point harness and HANS integration, and a lightweight air conditioning system. A nifty carbon fiber dash houses the digital display and key car controls. Optional extras with this car include a computational fluid dynamics developed aero package that adds a carbon fiber wing and front splitter on top of the existing aero kit and a lightweight polycarbonate windscreen.

Pricing starts at under £200,000 or about $300,000 and an initial batch of twenty examples will be produced by the end of 2013. A McLaren 12C GT Sprint painted in heritage McLaren Orange as seen above will also be at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

[Source: McLaren]

Caterham Seven 620 R

I can’t imagine there are very many of us here who don’t know about Caterham. They’ve been producing hoontastic machines like the Seven for 40 years now, and to celebrate that milestone, they’re releasing the most insane Seven variant yet – the 620 R.

This too is making its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend, and it’s sure to please crowds as much as it will please the guy lucky enough to drive it. A newly engineered Ford Duratec 2.0-liter engine is supercharged to produce 310 horsepower, which is good enough for a 0-60 time of just 2.8 seconds, or about as long as it takes to say “Caterham Seven 620 R”. The car’s lightweight, minimalist attitude follows Caterham’s mantra for accessible fun, and while it’s clearly a track-focused toy, it can be used on the streets.

More technical goodies include a gunmetal chassis, air-flow optimized nose cone that works with a new race-developed cooling package, De Dion rear suspension and wide track front suspension, high performance dampers, and lightweight 13″ alloy wheels wrapped in Avon ZZR tires. The interior features more ergonomic controls, carbon fiber panels, carbon fiber racing seats, and more performance-focused instrumentation.

The Caterham Seven 620 R will replace the R500 when it goes on sale later this year, and it will also be released in a softer 620 S specification at around the same time. Pricing for the 620 R is set at £49,995 including VAT.

[Source: Caterham | Image via Edmunds]

BMW produces final M3 Coupe

Goodnight, sweet prince.

And now for something that isn’t British. Sad news came out of Bavaria this week as BMW announced that the final M3 Coupe has rolled off the line. The end of an exciting era in the automotive world that began in 1986 is about to give birth to a new one, however, as the replacement of the M3 Coupe, the M4, is expected to be revealed sometime next year.

And don’t worry, the M3 itself isn’t dead, but from now on it will be a four-door only in the same way that the 3 Series is sedan only. Since the E92 M3 Coupe’s launch in 2007, 40,000 units have been sold, plus 10,000 sedans and 16,000 convertibles. The convertible M3 will remain in production until September, and when that dies, so will BMW’s sweet 4.0-liter V8 and their production of naturally-aspirated engines.

The M3 Coupe will remain active for a while longer in the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) as it defends its driver, team, and manufacturer championship titles.

[Source: BMW]

Mullin Automotive Museum to debut 1930 G.A.R. Type B5 Roadster

The Mullin Automotive Museum, a Southern California institution devoted to the preservation of French art and autos from the Art Deco era, has announced plans to debut a freshly restored 1930 G.A.R. Type B5 Roadster at the 63rd Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18th. This Type B5 Roadster, chassic #795, is one of only three of four examples left in the world. The marque itself only lasted from 1922 to 1934.

When it was new, the G.A.R. Type B5 Roadster was valued at 26,000 Francs and was a shining example of G.A.R.’s signature voiturette race cars. It was powered by a modest 1.375-liter inline eight cylinder engine which was able to propel it up to speeds of 80 mph. This particular car competed in the 1930 Algier-Djelfa race and the 1932 Circuit de L’Aisne.

The restoration process has taken nearly a full year and the process was tasked to automotive restorer and historian Brian Hoyt of Perfect Reflections. After the car’s debut at Pebble Beach, the once forgotten car will be on display at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California.

The photos apparently show this car in its unrestored state.

[Source: Mullin Automotive Museum]