Wednesday 31st January 2018

Lister Thunder rumbles into view

What would an F-Type SVR be like with another 100hp? Lister is letting 99 people find out

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Lister has made something of a name for itself (again) in recent years: having wowed international sportscar racing with the Storm in the 1990s, the recreation of its legendary 'Knobbly' models has received plenty of positive attention since the 2013 announcement. And why wouldn't it?

Today marks Lister's entry into the supercar mainstream - all things being relative - with this, the Thunder. Set to be revealed at the Historic Motorsport International in London next month, additional details for the Thunder have now been released. We knew about the 675hp, 208mph and 99-car production run from a confirmation late last year, but now we have a 0-100mph time - just 6.8 seconds - as well as price, which is arguably just as important: £139,950.

Given what was expected of the Thunder, that doesn't look unreasonable. Sure, it's nearly £30k more than the SVR on which it's based, but given Lister values the carbon bodykit at £19,950 (which is available now for all other F-Types), plus another £10k for the power, and the exclusivity appears realistic.

It means the Lister Thunder is similarly priced to an AMG GT C Edition 50, McLaren 540C and Audi R8 V10 Plus (in fact it's cheaper than the Audi), which will likely come as a surprise to those expecting a £250k F-Type. And none of those comes within 100hp of the Lister...

Lister says its cosmetic modifications "have been produced to standards that match or exceed original equipment", and include that bodykit - comprised of a carbon bumper with downforce-improving splitter and carbon rear bumper (plus a carbon bonnet as an option) - exhaust tips made of you-know-what, plus decals, badges and vents unique to this car. The interior will be trimmed in Bridge of Weir Nappa leather, available in 36 colours; the chosen stitching will also be accented outside with the BRM-esque grille surround and brake calipers. Nice.

Lister sees the Thunder as the first car in its "revised Jaguar tuning programme", according to CEO Lawrence Whittaker. He sees the brand as becoming like Brabus or Alpina, offering customers "new, enhanced bespoke performance and design alternatives". Who's for a 675hp XJ?

Full details of just what's been done to deliver the Thunder's output will be revealed at Excel on February 15th, where potential customers will get their first look at the car too. More to follow as soon as we have it...

[DB77]

Interesting that Lister have chosen to focus on cosmetic changes and an increase in power - nothing at all about improvements to handling. I think it say a lot either about the standard car (which I haven't driven) or the intended customers.

[Fetchez la vache]

Hope it does well. Looks fantastic - I assume it sounds fantastic too...

[topless360]

The way the car sits on those wheels is just... perfect! They've done a great job with the styling
I wonder how it will drive.

[Bencolem]

Given how large a departure Lister models have been from standard Jaguars in the past I was initially disappointed that this is cosmetically ‘just a bodykit’ but on reflection I think they’ve actually done a terrific job and it looks very good, lovely stance.

[MikeyB99]

Matt Bird said:

Sure, it's nearly £30k more than the SVR on which it's based.

The pictures in the article show a standard F-Type base not an SVR though?.....bonnet vents, fenders, rear difuser are that of a V8, rather than an SVR.

Looks good though, so best of luck to them

[MikeH74]

The Project 7 makes enough of a racket as it is, the proverbial "Thor gargling with hammers." By racket I mean, glorious sound!

[Corkys]

I wonder if the gearbox copes with the power increase? All that extra torque. 640ish bhp can be had for a lot cheaper though.

Looks nice, especially the P7 style splitter

[Tuvra]

Cosmetically that looks bang on to my eyes

[Gameface]

Lovely.

I'd be tempted by a convertible one.

[TooMany2cvs]

...or £10k less than a second-hand Defender...
<hides>

[S3Swiss]

nice - not sure what the market will be like for it though - not mad enough for the wide boys but too mad for the gentleman Grand Tourer? Hope the power is delivered better than from the Jags parked behind the cover pic. They were famously under-powered and need the curvature of the earth to get airborne when fully fuelled and bombed-up! (and yes, I know the middle one is a harrier - fully paid up member of the plane-spotting club);)

[Wadeski]

Kind of feel it needs box flares and a wing to be a "real" Lister, like the old XJSs....

[vw_stu]

I can't help but wonder what they plan to do in terms of driveline durability testing and sign off? There is a reason the hot JLR V8s tend to go on sale with no more than 575bhp and its not because the Powertrain boys can't squeeze more out, its related to the fact the gearbox is only rated to 750Nm of torque. Also, have they considered the front differential durability issues that will come with the increase in torque? Or the AWD coupling clutch durability? I won't even start on the essential recalibration of the Stability Control system.

Ultimately, will they offer a warranty that covers all of the above (and more) for the people who are willing to part with £140k?

[Matt Bird]

MikeyB99 said:

Matt Bird said:

Sure, it's nearly £30k more than the SVR on which it's based.

The pictures in the article show a standard F-Type base not an SVR though?.....bonnet vents, fenders, rear difuser are that of a V8, rather than an SVR.

Looks good though, so best of luck to them

Oooh, very good point. I'll ask and see what they say about a base car.


Matt

[theplayingmantis]

amazing, on the want list. Need to own a Lister.

Can anyone advise on the logo? why is it the Seaxes/Schmitars. thats not from Cambridgshires coat of arms, its like the Essex/Middsx arms reversed.

[griffdude]

That looks absolutely amazing. Is that with 4wd?

[ZX10R NIN]

That looks great, it has a very nice stance.

[alorotom]

Awesome ... I was a massive fan of the Storm and good to see they’re returning to form after such a break!

[IanJ9375]

Love this!

[silvermog]

vw_stu said:

I can't help but wonder what they plan to do in terms of driveline durability testing and sign off? There is a reason the hot JLR V8s tend to go on sale with no more than 575bhp and its not because the Powertrain boys can't squeeze more out, its related to the fact the gearbox is only rated to 750Nm of torque. Also, have they considered the front differential durability issues that will come with the increase in torque? Or the AWD coupling clutch durability? I won't even start on the essential recalibration of the Stability Control system.

Ultimately, will they offer a warranty that covers all of the above (and more) for the people who are willing to part with £140k?

They're quoting 666bhp and 720ft/lb, so just under the powertrain limits, achieved via new supercharger pulleys, custom intercoolers, air intakes and Lister specific ECU, along with a new exhaust system. The more interesting aspect is they also tout a new/revised suspension setup, possibly following the style of the Project7 or the limited race editions?

I can't believe that Lister wouldn't stand behind a warranty on the above, its only 99 cars after all … so the exposure would be limited and their audience will hardly be the type to piss around. The interesting thing to me is are they getting part-built cars from Jaguar (they're doing total re-trims otherwise, etc) or buying stock models off the line ...