When Jaguar revealed the Type 00 design vision during Miami Art Week in 2024, it felt like a reset. Not just a new car, but a clearing of the slate. Sometimes, to rebuild something properly, you have to strip it back to nothing, like a forest that burns so it can grow back stronger. That was the message. A brand choosing to start again, but with intent.
That thinking carries through to what Jaguar has done since. The new Jaguar Type 00 prototype, a four-door electric GT, is the first real expression of that shift, the production model that follows the Type 00. Instead of looking outward, Jaguar turned inward. The process feels closer to what happens when a new creative director steps into a fashion house, returning to the archives to understand the codes before creating something new.
Jaguar did exactly that. Through what they call The Spirit of Jaguar Drive, they retraced the same steps taken by their leadership and design teams at the start of the project. Drive the cars that defined the brand and figure out what a Jag should feel like at its core.
At Gaydon, the past and future sat side by side. Cars like the Jaguar XK120, Jaguar E-Type V12, Jaguar XJS, Jaguar XJ Series 1 V12, and Jaguar XJ-C V12 were driven back to back, each reinforcing a different part of the brand’s identity.
The XK120 set the tone with its balance of speed and elegance, along with a composed, almost cocooned driving position. The E-Type V12 remains the reference point. When Enzo Ferrari, founder of Ferrari and one of the most influential figures in automotive history, first saw it, he called it the most beautiful car ever made. It still feels that way. Comfortable, fast, and confident without trying too hard.
The XJS leaned into long-distance performance, built to move quickly without fatigue. The XJ Series 1 V12 and XJ-C V12 carried that same thinking into a more refined space, where power is always there, but never overstated. The XJ-C, in particular, captures that balance Jaguar keeps coming back to.
Drive them back-to-back, and the point becomes clear. Jaguar has always been about duality. Power and refinement, working together.
As Matt Becker, Jaguar’s Vehicle Engineering Director, explained, the goal was to get under the skin of what makes a Jaguar, then carry that forward. It ties back to Sir William Lyons, who believed driving should be a joy, not a chore.
That philosophy defines the new electric GT. The car I drove is still wrapped in camouflage, with final details being worked through, but the intent is already there. A long bonnet, a low roofline, and proportions that link back to the past while stepping away from typical EV design.
Underneath, it is all new. A tri-motor setup delivers more than 1,000 PS and over 1,300 Nm of torque, with torque vectoring reacting almost instantly. Air suspension and active dampers keep everything composed, even when you start to lean into it.
It is quick to 100, but that is not the point. It is what happens after. The way it builds speed, smooth and controlled. At one point, we hit 140 miles per hour (225 km/h) easily, effortlessly, almost without notice. That moment says more than any spec sheet.
Even now, the balance is there. Engaging when you want it, composed when you do not. It feels considered.
Visually, even under camouflage, the stance stands out. Long, low, and deliberate. The 23-inch wheels take up more than half the car’s height, giving it a presence that leans more toward sculpture than surface.
The full picture comes in September 2026, with orders opening shortly after and first deliveries expected in early 2027. For now, the Type 00 prototype sits in between. Not finished, but far enough along to understand where Jaguar is heading.