From the original 2003 Press Release:

Concept

“With R-D6 we set out to create a concept car which would build on the R-Coupe and further develop Jaguar’s new design direction. We also wanted to showcase the latest technology in lightweight vehicle structures and our potent new bi-turbo, common-rail V6 diesel.” said Mike Wright Managing Director, Jaguar Cars.

Jaguar Director of Design, Ian Callum, and Chief Designer, Advanced Design, Julian Thomson, marshalled the efforts of a small team of groundbreaking designers who seized the opportunity to realise their ideas for the future of the Jaguar marque well before they appear in production form.

As Design Director Ian Callum explains “R-D6 represents the pure, sensuous and sporting design that will feature in all new Jaguars, but more than this it is a vision of the future of premium motoring: beautiful, fast, agile, efficient and fun. The fact that it is the most compact four-seater Jaguar ever and defies categorisation makes it even more intriguing and desirable.”

Observers will point to ‘classic’ Jaguar design cues – such as the grille – on R-D6, but it is important to realise that such features are there not because they commemorate Jaguar’s past, but because they are intrinsically ‘right’ for a thoroughly modern Jaguar.

R-D6 also takes advantage of Jaguar’s lightweight structure strategy, as pioneered in the new XJ saloon. Using aluminium and composite materials for the chassis and body, R-D6 weighs just 1500kg. This allows it to capitalise on the power – and, more importantly, the torque – delivered by its V6 engine.

And it’s the engine that will surprise many people – although, when you think about it, a high-performance 2.7-litre diesel engine makes perfect sense.

The bi-turbo V6 is a tuned version of the engine that is adopted on the S-TYPE (2004). The V6 diesel engine delivers more than 230bhp and 500Nm of torque. Acceleration from standstill to 60mph takes less than six seconds. Top speed is an electronically limited to 155mph.

“We’ve already proved with the new XJ what advantages there are in using aluminium within a lightweight vehicle structure. It’s natural that this technology will feature in Jaguar’s future – and what better place to start than R-D6.” said Phil Hodgkinson Programmes Director, Jaguar Cars.

“Respect for a glorious heritage doesn’t stop us putting in place the foundations for future generations of thrilling, dynamic Jaguars that aren’t afraid to challenge perceptions. That’s what R-D6 is all about.” said Julian Thomson, Chief Designer, Advanced Design, Jaguar Cars.

Exterior Design

Its distinctive blend of attributes inherent in the Jaguar psyche – emotional engineering, stimulating performance, intelligent technology and downright sexy design – makes R-D6 instantly recognisable as a true Jaguar. But the styling of the car – its lines and shapes, its sheer presence – heralds a design direction that makes no apologies to past, present or future.

At 4,330mm long, R-D6 is 342mm shorter than Jaguar’s smallest car, the X-TYPE saloon – and 760mm shorter than an XK8 coupé. The compact length of R-D6 is aided by short overhangs front and rear (800mm and 695mm respectively) and is achieved with a wheelbase of 2,840mm.

To ensure R-D6 is a true four-seater, the design team refused to compromise on width or height (2,150mm and 1,390mm) but succeeded nonetheless in crafting a beautifully compact coupé that has all the road presence – and more – that you expect of a Jaguar.

Among the characterizing design elements are the grille that draws your eye, the vents integrated into the bonnet and flanks of the car and the aluminium finisher swooping over the entire side glass area.

The headlights reveal a fresh interpretation of the twin-lamp style featured by Jaguars for many years. Both front and rear lights use LED technology to deliver the best possible function while maintaining beautiful form.

Details include the flush-mounted door handles, which pivot on the front edge to activate an electrical actuator that opens the door; the centrally mounted twin-pipe exhausts; the aluminium boot finisher engraved with the Jaguar script; or even the Leaper on the back of the car.

The structure

The aluminium chassis of R-D6 is similar to that of the new XJ and is constructed using many of the same advanced technologies – with all the accompanying advantages, including outstanding strength, robustness and durability in a true lightweight architecture.

Castings such as the front suspension turrets have also benefited from techniques used in the new XJ, while the body is of aluminium and composite materials.

R-D6 rides on 21-inch wheels, machined from solid aluminium specifically for this car. They are shod with unique, ultra-low-profile Pirelli tyres: 255/30 R21 on the front and 275/30 R21 on the rear.

Technical features

The all-new 2.7-litre V6 diesel engine features twin turbochargers and the latest, high-pressure, common-rail direct injection, making it among the most advanced high-performance diesel engines in the world.

Among the innovations is the Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) cylinder block – which provides outstanding strength and durability as well as weighing less than a traditional cast iron unit.

Interior

To appreciate fully the interior of R-D6 takes a while, partly because you spend as much time touching as you do looking.

The materials in the cabin are a blend of classic with a contemporary twist and modern bordering on the futuristic.

Aluminium features extensively in both milled and formed guise while rwo types of leather – lightly grained, carbon-black aniline and 8mm thick black saddle leather – are used throughout the interior.

Satin-finish Black American Walnut veneer complements the Piano Black gloss veneer that was introduced on the new XJ.

The seat is constructed with internal ducts to allow heating or cooling according to driver preference.

“To my mind, what you’re looking at is the ultimate luxury sports interior. Don’t just note the fact that there is leather and wood; really study how we’ve used it. Trust me, this is beyond contemporary.” explains Ian Callum.

“When we started work on the interior, we wanted to only use the materials in an ‘honest’ way, so the wood is mostly flat and the leather ‘drapes’ in a natural fashion.” said Julian Thomson.

To one side of you is a door featuring aluminium and two types of leather, and in the centre a section of the American Walnut wood veneer that runs from the front to the rear of the cabin.

Controls for motorised movement of the seat are integrated into the recessed armrest. Open the door and a formed aluminium surround is visible, integrating a Jaguar-embossed leather kick-plate.

Your feet rest on wood, which again runs from front to rear. In the area immediately below the seats and extending partially into the footwell, the wood is obscured by a ‘floating floor’ of tensioned thick saddle leather that ‘flows’ over the transmission tunnel and is also visible at the outer edges of the cabin floor.

The 25mm gap between the leather and the wood, aided by apertures in the latter, forms part of the climate-control system.

Where it tops the transmission tunnel, the leather is inset with an aluminium gearshift surround. The milled aluminium lever itself – which operates a six-speed manual transmission – is located in an aluminium, domed hemisphere in place of a traditional soft gaiter.

The tachometer is positioned centrally, with the speedometer smaller and to the right.

To the other side, in an adjoining ‘pod’, are the usual fuel and temperature gauges and other warning lights. All the dial faces have a white ceramic appearance and R-Performance branding, and a milled aluminium rear-view mirror looks perfectly at home.

A broad, solid aluminium ‘switch beam’, topped by an aniline leather-trimmed lower instrument panel, runs across the facia

It is broken in the centre by a cover for the navigation and ‘infotainment’ display screen, revealed when the cover swivels backwards into the instrument panel.

The touch-sensitive screen, developed by Alpine Electronics, features unique ‘Shutter LCD’ technology that allows passengers to watch a moving image – for example, a DVD – while the driver sees only the essential driving functions: navigation, climate-control etc.

The facia hood – which stretches back to a veneered wood surround at the base of the windscreen – is of black saddle leather, which is again designed to give the appearance of being a ‘floating’ structure.

Sporting touchews include the three-spoke, tri-material (aluminium, leather and Piano Black wood) steering wheel and drilled aluminium foot pedals.

The rear cabin of R-D6 features two individual seats are accessed via rear-hinged doors, and passengers are treated not only to comfortable, moulded seats, but also to a surprising amount of room.

When the rear seats are unoccupied, the entire assembly can slide forward to almost interlock with the front seats, thus doubling the boot capacity.

The boot floor is a two-layer design, with the upper layer – and, of course, any luggage placed on it – moving forward with the seats to save you having to reorganise the boot.

The side-hinged tailgate, the style of which will be familiar to anyone who has owned a Jaguar E-type coupé allows the rear headroom to be optimised.

Interior lighting is usually provided by clear glass courtesy lights, but R-D6 is altogether more passionate, with ambient floor lighting activated when the door opens to provide a welcoming, deep red glow.

The engine is started by pressing a 'hidden' button, located in the top of the gearshift, below a swivelling top piece, "much like the safety-catch on a gun – or the top of a fighter aircraft joystick".

(Source: Jaguar)