David Brown Speedback GT Is A Rebodied Jaguar XKR Priced From $780,000 In The USA

It costs nearly as much as eight Jaguar XKRs ($97,500 a pop in the States) upon which it is based, and at least from far away, it looks like one of those fabricated replicas we see on eBay, what is it?

Why, it’s David Brown Automotive’s Aston Martin DB5 / 1960s Ferrari throwback, the Speedback GT, and it’s coming to North America with a starting price of £495,000, which equals $780,000 at today’s exchange rates.

We know that coach-built creations don’t come cheap, but damn that’s a heck of a lot of money for a car without any pedigree other than its Jaguar XKR underpinnings. To put it in perspective, you can get a new Aston Martin DB9 ($188,295), a Porsche 911 GT3 RS ($175,900), a Lamborghini Aventador ($397,500) and still have some 20 grand left in your bank account for a daily ride…

Those who have seen the Speedback GT up close say the quality and materials are top notch, but at the end of the day, it’s still a Jaguar XKR at heart, using the same 510-horsepower 5.0-liter supercharged V8 coupled to a 6-speed auto driving the rear wheels for a quoted 0-60mph time of 4.6 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.8 sec) and a limited top speed of 155mph (250km/h).

While you (probably) won’t be able to tell its origins from the outside with its hand-crafted aluminum body, but the cabin is pure XKR with David Brown Automotive adding several special touches in the way of the wood trimmed dashboard, door panels and steering wheel, polished metal details and bespoke instrument panel readings.

David Brown Automotive said it will display the car at the Quail Rally on August 10 where it will participate in the race.