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Lyonheart K aims to rekindle British sporting tradition with E-Type homage

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, few automobile shapes are as imitated as the legendary Jaguar E-Type. Of course, Jaguar itself has drawn inspiration from its most iconic sportscar with the contemporary XK and the more recent C-X16 concept. Eagle has reinterpreted the classic with modern accoutrements. And about a year ago a Swedish designer by the name of Bo Zolland rendered a sumptuously retro re-imagination of the form with the Growler E.

That design was slated to go into limited production by a firm called Visualtech, but now the design has resurfaced under a new moniker: Lyonheart. Based on a tweaked version of Zolland's renderings, designer Robert Palm has given the retro E a slightly more aggressive look, with more catlike headlamps and retro touches that are somehow even more pronounced.

The new Anglo-Swiss outfit intends to render the shape in carbon fiber, stainless steel, brushed aluminum, chrome, leather and wood veneer and put it into limited production in England for 495,000 euros a pop – equivalent to about $650K. Power is slated to come from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 550 metric horsepower (542 by our standards) and 500 pound-feet of torque, which – coupled with a curb weight targeted under 3,500 lbs – aims to propel the Lyonheart K from 0-62 mph in under four seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 300 kph (186 mph).

Follow the jump for the press release and scope out the fresh renderings in the high-res image gallery above for a closer look.
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LYONHEART K
A New, Truly British Luxury Sports Car


21.02.2012. The LYONHEART K, an all-new, truly British luxury sports car, is launched today.

Classic Factory, the Swiss design company, recently enjoyed a huge worldwide success with its modern interpretation of the legendary Jaguar E-Type, designed by Robert Palm in collaboration with Bo Zolland. In order to meet customer demand, decision was taken to build a limited series.

Robert Palm, CEO of Classic Factory, said: "We want to make the 'Made In England' label into a truthful concept, not just a statement. Every part of the Lyonheart K is developed, engineered and hand-built in England. The design clues of the Lyonheart K reflect Britishness at its best: cool, elegant, refined, understated yet powerful and dynamic."

The 5.0 Litre Supercharged V8 delivers 550PS and 680Nm of torque. Carbon fibre panels cover a state-of-the-art aluminium chassis, keeping the weight below 1600kg. The Lyonheart K reaches 100kph in under 4 seconds and tops 300kph (electronically limited).

Lyonheart's design philosophy is simple, use only genuine materials: carbon fibre, leather, veneer, polished stainless steel, brushed aluminium and chromed metal, nothing else. Extreme attention has been given to every exterior and interior detail. The aluminium engine is revealed by opening the traditional, front-hinged clamshell bonnet.

The Lyonheart K is entirely hand-built in Coventry by skilled craftsmen and a new company has been founded: Lyonheart Cars Ltd. The order books for the 50 first Lyonheart K cars are now open at a basic price of EUR 495,000 (without taxes). The estimated delivery time is 18 months.

For more information: www.lyonheart.com.

Contact information:
Classic Factory Ltd
Robert Palm
info@classicfactory.ch
1121 Bremblens – Switzerland
+41 79 211 24 18

Classic Factory owns all Lyonheart assets, intellectual property, designs, and brand rights.

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