Jaguar brought out its C-X75 hyper car concept recently, and let the members of the press have a go in it. They have already dismissed any chance of production for the C-X75, but now that the LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and the Porsche 918 are coming out boasting hybrid power, Jaguar brass might be rethinking their strategy.

The C-X75 was cancelled because it was too complicated and too expensive to build, and not commercially viable for Jag’s parent company TATA. That is usually the case with cars like this. They are more of s statement; something to show off the company’s superior technology. Save a few brands like McLaren or Ferrari, others usually lose money on every hyper car they sell.

These days, though, Jaguar is doing pretty good financially, and can afford to blow up a couple of millions on making a few hyper cars, just to rub it in the competition’s face. But the company’s officials are still reluctant to restart the project. They only go as far as saying the technology of the C-x75 will be used in their future sports models.

So what makes the C-X75 such a special machine? Well, this car, and the Porsche 918, were among the first sort of modern hyper cars to utilize the hybrid theory in order to achieve better performance. The hyper Jag features a small, 1.6 liter petrol engine which is boosted with two giant turbochargers up to 500 horsepower. Then there are two meaty electric motors which generate the equivalent of 350 horsepower. That means a total output of 850bhp, which is on the par with the 918, P1, and LF.

The performance is similar too, with a 0 to 60 time of under three seconds and a top speed of 220 mph or 350 km/h. You even get a pure electric range of 40 miles. The C-X75 also has a very clever design, blending cues form old Jags with modern features. It’s a shame really that Jaguar is letting such a brilliant car gather dust in the R&D department.