Jaguar showcases new F-Pace SUV with a world record loop

The British luxury car maker debuts its first-ever SUV with a gravity-defying, record-breaking stunt.

ZEEGNITION/Ajit Menon

Trust Jaguar to reveal their cars in style. If last year, they air-lifted an XE by a helicopter through central London, at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show the luxury car maker revealed its first-ever SUV, the F-Pace, in yet another scintillating fashion.

It sent the F-Pace crossover through a 19.08m tall, 360-degree circle to set the Guinness World Record for the largest ever “loop the loop”. The previous record of 18.29m was held by Greg Tracy and Tanner Foust in 2012.

The gravity-defying stunt was performed by British stunt driver Terry Grant who undertook two months of intense physical and dietary training to ensure his body was prepared for the 6.5 G-Force, which Jaguar explains is more severe than the forces experienced by space shuttle pilots.

The feat was meant to showcase the F-Pace’s ability to combine agility with sports car speed and performance. Speaking of the crossover, Ian Callum, Director of Design for Jaguar said: “The Jaguar F-Pace is an SUV with the soul of a sports car. When we created this car we thought differently; we took a Jaguar sports car and made it family friendly. The F-Pace exudes performance yet you can fit five people and all their belongings in it. This is a car for people who love driving, who love design and who love technology – this is the ultimate practical sports car.”

Priced at £34,170 (Rs 35 lakh), the F-Pace will go on sale around summer next year. Two V6 engines will be on offer putting out 340hp and 380hp respectively while a 2.0 litre diesel mill will come in later.  Jaguar also announced that it plans to roll out 2,000 special “First Edition” models in limited numbers and in the first year of production only at £65,275 (Rs 66.86 lakh) in the UK.