That's quite a claim considering existing performance SUVs such as the Lamborghini Urus and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, but the British company is confident it can deliver.
In a similar way to how the likes of Hennessey takes American muscle cars and ratchets up their production form performance, Lister is doing a similar thing by working its way through the Jaguar Land Rover portfolio. The company recently showcased the Lister Thunder, which is a substantially reworked version of the Jaguar F-Type R and the first of what will be a series of JLR-based models.
The F-Pace SVR.
The ultimate aim of the company is to produce a new bespoke Lister Storm, but in the meantime it's pressing ahead with the Lister Lightning based on the Jaguar F-Pace SVR SUV that was unveiled a year ago at the New York International Auto Show.
A teaser shot of the Lightning was released yesterday to unveil a new front fascia with huge air intakes flanked by aerodynamic curtains and joined by a lip spoiler. The teaser image also shows the substantial cross-drilled brake discs that will be fitted to the performance SUV to help it stop as well as it goes.
Under the bonnet will still be JLR's familiar 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, but the 550hp of the F-Pace SVR is going to be increased to somewhere in the region of the 660hp of the Lister Thunder.
Those with a keen eye for such matters will soon realise that's still some distance short of the 707hp produced by the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, but Lister is claiming the Lightning will be the fastest and not the most powerful SUV in the world.
The Jaguar F-Pace is already a more lightweight, performance-orientated SUV than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, so it shouldn't take too much engineering genius to make the Lightning faster than the Trackhawk, despite the Lister having slightly less power. But one thing is for sure, the Lister Lightning will cost more than the Jeep when it finally goes on sale.
