The first 320kmh car Jaguar New Zealand has ever offered is on a fast boat here.

FAST Jag fans can expect to see a new supercar-chasing all-wheel-drive flagship version of the F-Type sports car as early as June.

There’s no price yet for the Porsche 911-targetting SVR model, only unveiled to the world yesterday and also the first Jaguar road car created to make 320kmh since the XJ220 hypercar of 1992 – which never sold new here, though at least one now resides in New Zealand.

However, Paul Ricketts, Jaguar product manager for distributor Motorcorp Holdings, believes it could well be fair to assume it will likely carry the same kind of premium as the Range Rover SVR does over a regular Supercharged Sport.

With the Land Rover hotshoe, that’s a $58,000 step up.

Conceivably, then, the new stormer might well place at around $260k for the coupe and $275k in convertible form. 

UK press are picking the car, on its home soil, will be placed at around the equivalent of $220,000.

“We don’t have any pricing yet but I think the price differential between those Range Rover models could be a good indicator,” Ricketts said. “We don’t think it’s going to be a $300,000 or $400,000 car.”

Big money for a Jaguar? Perhaps, but still a lot cheaper than some of the supercars it potentially will humble with a 0-100kmh time of 3.7 seconds and top speed of 321kmh for the couple and 320kmh for the convertible.

Ricketts is unsure how big the market for the model will be, but notes that the serious performance car sector has shown growth in the past two years.

“Obviously it’s small at just over 200 units or so, but that’s a lot bigger than in 2014,” he noted.

“The sports car segment is all about the latest and greatest – performance and good looks.

"I guess the SVR ticks those boxes. It might come down to what we get in allocation, and we don’t have visibility of that yet. We might only get 10 cars and I’m sure we could sell all of those.”

The immediate and surprisingly strong interest in the $198,000 F-Type R all-wheel-drive shows there will be a ready market for the even more specialist fare.

“The F-Type R all-wheel-drive has been very successful for us and increasing the power to what the SVR has will just further that interest and demand.”

“It’s a hot-looking car,” Ricketts said of the SVR, letting slip that during a visit to Jaguar almost a year ago he’d seen the vehicle in its design sign-off format. “At that time were just stunned.”

Jaguar has not yet revealed any technical details of the new model apart from the top speed, but it’s expected to feature the same yowling 422kW/700Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 as the F-type Project 7, a limited-run version of the F-type which was also produced by the SVR division.

Overseas’ media say that limited-run model provided good data in respect to chassis tuning and extra performance and cooling, meeting the imperative to make the F-Type more focused and improve its performance while retaining everyday usability.

SVR is the badge developed by Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations division and is the British brand's answer to Mercedes-Benz's AMG and BMW's M-division. The SVR badge in effect replaces the R-S badge used recently on the XK and XF models.

This is the first Jaguar developed by SVR but it is widely assumed the F-Pace, the brand’s first crossover that’s also expected to be on sale here this year, will also spawn an SVR edition. It’s thought this will also feature the supercharged V8.

Commented Ricketts: “The only SVR Jaguar I know about is F-Type but SVO has made it clear they want to expand out through the Jaguar and Land Rover ranges, and not just from a sports car viewpoint.”

He reminded SVO is also responsible for the super-luxury Autobiography fitments and has an off-road arm as well.

Jaguar had hoped to keep the car under wraps until closer to an intended debut at the Geneva motor show, opening on March 3, but that plan was spoiled when a brochure for the car was leaked.

In response the brand then aired the photos seen today. These reveal striking elements of the bodykit include the large rear wing and more prominent rear diffuser. There’s also a new spoiler at the front, along with larger air intakes for engine and brake cooling.

The leaked brochure revealed the F-Type SVR will receive the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 and will be mated to an eight-speed automatic with power sent to all four wheels.