Note: Current Jaguar F-Type R Coupe pictured here.

We haven’t been shy with our affinity for the new Jaguar F-Type->ke1224. We drooled when it debuted as a roadster. We swooned when the Coupe version came a year later. But now, rumors suggest Jaguar is mulling the possibility of a Club Sport version of the coupe. Think of it as the Camaro Z/28 of the F-Type lineup.

The guys at Motoring.com had a chat with Jaguar’s F-Type Program Director Russ Varney about the possibilities. Quite a few details emerged from the conversation, along with legitimate hopes Jaguar will actually build the thing. “We have three or four things we are looking at for the next developments of the F-TYPE and a lightweight, harder version is a long way up that list,” Varney divulged.

Sales volume is the foremost factor in a project like this, and as Varney mentioned, it would take around 500 cars a year before the project became viable. Cutting weight from the car would likely include heavy uses of carbon fiber, and at 500 cars sold each year, the cost becomes “quite cheap.”

As for how much weight the F-Type will lose, Jaguar is shooting for roughly 440 pounds, dialing the scales back to around 3,230 pounds. Since the car is mainly constructed from aluminum, the chassis will likely remain unchanged. The leather-lined interior, however, affords plenty of room for dieting.

Yet another approach -- although not without nay-sayers -- may be to use the supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 rather than the monstrous 550-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8. The weight savings is 156 pounds right off the top. Boosting the power from 380 horses and 339 pound-feet -- along with dropping weight -- would give the car a distinct advantage. It works for the Z/28, after all.

Varney ended his chat by saying Jaguar->ke39 would not be following in Lamborghini’s->ke44 footsteps with making a Club Sport-style roadster. “The coupe is already 33 pounds lighter and people who want these kinds of cars don’t want it as a roadster.”

Click past the jump to read more about the Jaguar F-Type Club Sport.

2016 Jaguar F-Type Club Sport

Specifications
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  • Model: 2016 Jaguar F-Type Club Sport
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Competitors

2014 Porsche 911 GT3

When it’s not barred from driving for sitting ablaze on a European roadside, the 911 GT3 is quite the performer. At 3,152 pounds, the GT3 weighs roughly the same as the projected F-Type Club Sport. Horsepower comes in at 475 with 324 pound-feet of torque. And as Jaguar would likely do, the GT3 skimps on the niceties and extra luxuries of the standard Porsche 911 for a more competitive demeanor.

Its 3.8-liter flat-six hurtles the GT3 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds on its way to a 195-mph top speed. Backed by the PDK dual clutch transmission, the Porsche would be a fierce competitor for the Jaguar.

Perhaps the Jaguar’s largest advantage would be price. Even in top-line R trim, the F-Type costs $99,000 while the GT3 requires a larger $130,400 check in order to take it home. It’s hard to imagine Jaguar inflating the price an extra $30k for the Club Sport. Though it might come close, the Jag will still likely undercut the GT3.

2015 Nissan GTR Nismo

Like the other two, the Nismo GTR is the bare-bones race version of the standard car. According to Nissan, the 2015 version of the Nismo will cut 143 pounds from its weight, along with the updated 3.8-liter V-6. Power outputs are expected to be 600 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque bringing the GTR’s 0-to-60 mph time to roughly two seconds.

Loads of aerodynamic add-ons help the Nismo GTR garner more downforce while slipping through the air more easily. Nissan says it generates 220 pounds of downforce at 186 mph. Though the GTR isn’t quite the gentleman’s racer the other two are, there’s not denying the GTR’s outstanding performance pedigree.

Pricing for the Godzilla Nismo should start at $149,990, putting it at the higher edge of the pricing spectrum of the trio here.