JAGUAR is planning a spiritual successor to the legendary E-Type, it was reported this week.

The two-seater "baby XK8", very much a secret project, is in the early stages of development, according to this week's Auto Express magazine.

The car would be in line with the brief of the 1960s original, which Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons insisted should have the performance of the most specialised sports cars of the time combined with the comfort and refinement of his luxury saloons, the magazine said.

Smaller and lighter than the XK8, which is more of a grand tourer than a sports car, it would also be considerably cheaper, at around £35,000, a price which puts it up against cars such as the Porsche Boxster and Mercedes SLK, and is likely to be a convertible, it said.

Story date: Wednesday 15 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.