Jaguar's New Sports Car: A Cayman Conqueror?

Realistically, the Germans have had the mid-stream sports car market to themselves for a while now in the form of the Porsche Boxster/Cayman, BMW Z4, and to a lesser degree, Audi TT. Oh sure, Lotus' Elise and Exige have been trying to crack the same nut, but it's proven harder than their no-holds-barred niche can manage. 

But, it looks like England might finally have a proper Porsche fighter in the form of Jaguars new sports coupe. Although only released as a concept as yet, the C-X16 (plenty of time to change that name, Jag!) boasts the jaw dropping good looks we've come to expect from the storied marque paired with a few unique features. First, there's the powerplant; paying homage to Jaguar's recent habit of supercharging their engines, the concept will be unveiled with a blown 3.0L V6 putting out 376 horsepower and 332 pound feet of torque. That actually puts the diminutive sports coupe closer in power output to the new 911 Carrera S than it will be to the Boxster, Cayman, or 911 Carrera. 

But that's hardly the only trick up its sleeve. In an effort to satisfy emissions and environmental concerns, the car also features a unique "Push to Pass" feature that allows the driver to deliver an additional 92 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque with the push of a button. Combined with the stout V6's performance, the C-X16 will scoot to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds on its way to a 183 mile per hour top speed. For argument's sake, that's faster acceleration than one will experience in a 911 Carrera GTS, and just one mile per hour slower at full tilt.  

Impressed? We sure are.