Report: Jaguar to Return to GT Racing

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. is modifying Jaguar's F-Type sports car to compete in the GT4 race class later this year, Autosport reports.

Jaguar's Special Vehicle Operations will build three GT4 race cars, according to the racing website, which doesn't cite its sources. The vehicles would be Jaguar's first internally developed GT race cars since the company's successful C- and D-Type models in the 1950s.

Jaguar declined to comment other than to say it will focus its racing efforts on the FIA Formula E electric vehicle circuit, which it joined last year. Jaguar's last involvement in GT racing was in 2011 with a specially equipped XKR that was modified by Paul Gentilozzi's RSR team to meet GT2 specifications. A rumored GT3 program in 2013 never came to fruition.

The new GT4 program is being headed by Graham Huymphrys with funding provided by clothing entrepreneur James Holder, Autosport says. Humphrys, who previously designed the BMW V-12 LMR car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1999, most recently worked at Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., where he teamed up with F1 designer Adrian Newey on the Valkyrie hypercar.