Lister Unveils Roofless LFT-666, Calls It LFT-C

The popularity of Lister's LFT-666, formerly known as the Thunder, prompted the British outfit to create the LFT-C as an attention-grabber while it works on the Knobbly. The LFT-C features "an almost unlimited options list," packs the same 657 horsepower V-8 as the fixed-head version, and it costs $182,424. Unlike the coupe, though, only 10 LFT-Cs will ever be made.

Lister seems to be doing better than ever. The company based in Cambridge, England currently assembles the LFT-666 Coupe and the F-Pace-based LFP that's one of the fastest SUVs money can buy in Europe. More recently, CEO Lawrence Whittaker announced plans to revive the legendary Knobbly nameplate on a retro-chic two-seater sports car with Ferrari-rivaling output, and a rebirth of the Storm is also on the cards in the future. It is, then, surprising that Lister found time to create the LFT-C at all.

The 2019 Lister LFT-C Will Pepper Up the Summer of 10 Lucky People

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Lister's relationship with Jaguar goes back to the mid-'50s, so you know that when a new Lister-tuned Jag props up, it's bound to be something worthy of a few gasps. It packs the same punch as any LFT-666, but it will probably be worth more in the future. To be frank, however, these cars deserve to be driven, not babied in view of a future transaction.

"Launching the new LFT-C is a personal triumph, as I have always loved convertible cars, even since my 2nd car, an MG Midget," said Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of The Lister Motor Company. "While we are famous for cars like the Knobbly and the Storm, the LFT series heralds a new era for Lister and continues our historical enhancement of Jaguar drivetrains, which dates back to 1957," added Whittaker in a press release quoted by Motor1.

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The rounded gaping mouth is there as are the sizeable air vents on either side and the protruding carbon fiber lip that follows the line of the front bumper. There are two vertical air inlets on the hood as well, and a carbon fiber side skirt added to the rocker panels. In the back, the triple-finned diffuser houses no less than four exhaust tips. The only thing that's different, besides the vintage-looking livery with a thick yellow stripe over the British Racing Green bodywork and a pair of giant yellow roundels on the doors, is the rims. They are probably 20-inches in diameter and are much more elaborate in design than the clean 14-spoke ones on the LFT-666. To me, they seem identical to the rims fitted to the Knobbly Concept in the renderings posted by Lister.

As mentioned, the drivetrain of the LFT-C is nothing new. A 5.0-liter, supercharged V-8 with all the bespoke Lister goodies sits under the hood, and it produces 657 horsepower (666 PS) and 713 pound-feet of torque. If you think that's not impressive, I'll have you know a bone-stock F-Type SVR is only able to give you 82 horsepower less and almost 200 less pound-feet of torque in a world where there are still new cars you can buy with less than 200 pound-feet on tap.

Thanks to that devilish engine, the LFT-C can go from naught to 60 mph in about 3.2 seconds, and it needs an extra 3.4 seconds from there to reach 100 mph. The SVR is also about 0.3 seconds slower to 60 mph but, on the upside, it is almost $60,000 cheaper with an MSRP of about $125,000. The LFT-C, meanwhile, will set you back $183,000 and you must be in Europe to get one. With this being said, the LFT-C is on a whole different level when it comes to exclusivity as only ten units will be made.

To remind you of how special a person you are for purchasing an LFT-C, Lister will glue a metal plaque under the hood with the serial number of each car. To put it into context, Lister builds 99 LFT-666s a year (all of the build slots for 2019 have been sold) and, back in 2013, Jaguar announced it will build 250 Jaguar F-Type Project 7s. The Project 7 is, in my mind, the LFT-Cs factory-built nemesis. It comes with a hump behind the driver's head, an Ecurie Ecosse-inspired livery to double down on the D-Type nostalgia and a carbon fiber wing to keep the tail end in check. However, the eight-speed automatic (the same as in the LFT-C) only has to deal with 550 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 502 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. In other words, with over 100 horsepower missing, the Project 7 doesn't stand a chance against Lister's open-top beast and, while the chassis's been tuned by SVO, we guess Lister is no slouch when it comes to suspension, steering, and chassis tuning so I'd expect the LFT-C to be at least as quick around a track. Also, the Project 7 won't exceed 186 mph because it has no roof. The LFT-C, on the other hand, packs a soft top like the SVR Convertible.

The cacophony of numbers may be appealing but, at the end of the day, the LFT-C is a really expensive car, one that will surely grab attention thanks to its livery, but one that few will understand. The sensible choice is, if you still crave for the Lister treatment, to get an SVR Convertible and then order a $12,900 Lister visual package that will turn it into a Lister LFT Convertible. Sadly, you won't get Nappa leather, but you will go home with over $40,000 to spare.