Ten Jaguar Project 7s for Oz

Three special new versions of Jaguar's F-TYPE sports car will arrive in Australia this year, starting with the most exclusive of them.

Ten examples of the limited-edition F-TYPE Project 7 will land Down Under from next month – double the number originally allocated to Australia from a global production run of just 250 vehicles.

Jaguar Australia originally secured five examples of the fastest and most powerful production Jaguar ever, and planned to keep one for promotional purposes.

Unexpected local demand has seen that number increase to eight and then 10, with all now earmarked for well-heeled leaping cat fans.

Australian pricing has not been revealed, but Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner said each Project 7 will cost "well north of $300,000".

"I won't say the price didn't matter to them, but it's not a big concern for the enthusiasts that want them," he added.

Wiesner said that apart from Sydney and Melbourne, local Project 7 customers are based in Queensland, Adelaide and Perth – all of them private owners except one Jaguar dealer who has purchased the bespoke F-TYPE for his collection.

But he cautioned that the first product of Jaguar's new Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) would not be a common sight Down Under.

"Our allocation is quite a high share of the production run and it's been a priority to get them here.

"There will be a special handover process for each customer and we're planning something else around the car, but you probably won't see many on the road here," said Wiesner.

First revealed as a single-seat prototype in 2013, the production Project 7 boasts a signature rear buttress akin to the 60-year-old Jaguar D-Type and is powered by a 423kW/700Nm 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8 engine.

That means the Ian Callum-designed aluminium roadster, which is 80kg lighter than the regular F-TYPE convertible at 1585kg, has 18kW more power and 20Nm than the F-TYPE R Coupe – enough for it to sprint to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 300km/h.

Other tweaks include a modified eight-speed Quickshift automatic transmission, an electronic active rear differential with torque vectoring, a carbon-fibre front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and adjustable rear wing, larger 398mm front and 380mm rear carbon ceramic matrix brake discs gripped by six- and four-pot monobloc callipers, and revised suspension with adjustable springs and dampers.

Many of these upgrades – including the Project 7's 423kW blown V8, but not its removable roof and matt-black ceramic coated-quad exhaust system — are likely to feature on the F-TYPE SVR, which was revealed just last week ahead of its world debut at the Geneva motor show on March 1.

Jaguar Australia has now confirmed its first SVR model will arrive in local showrooms by the end of this year, but details beyond its 200mph (322km/h) top speed, new titanium exhaust system, forged aluminium wheels, larger rear diffuser, new front bumper and bigger rear wing won't be revealed until February 17.

Expect the F-TYPE SVR to arrive late this year as part of the 17MY sports car line-up, priced well above the existing F-TYPE R AWD coupe ($242,280) and convertible ($260,980).

Well before then in the second quarter of this year, Jaguar Australia will release the F-TYPE British Design Edition, based on the 280kW/460Nm 3.0-litre V6 S Coupe and Convertible and available in Caldera Red, Glacier White, Ultra Blue and Ultimate Black exterior colours.

Pricing starts at $166,650 for the rear-drive manual coupe and extends to $174,900 for the RWD auto coupe, $187,560 for the AWD auto coupe and $192,680 for the RWD auto convertible.

Unique extras include an Exterior Sport Design Pack, Jaguar Super Performance Braking system with red callipers (black optional), 20-inch Cyclone wheels with unique Satin Dark Grey finish, Jet premium leather interior with contrast stitching in Red, Ivory or Reims Blue, a 770-Watt 10-speaker Meridian Surround Sound System and British Design Edition branding on the front, rear, head restraints, tread plates and on the satin-finish carbon-fibre centre console trim.

Like other 17MY F-TYPEs, British Design Edition models will be available with both InControl Touch and InControl Touch Plus multimedia systems, and an extra eight litres of luggage space in the convertible thanks to repackaging of key components.