Days of Thunder: Lister returns with Jaguar F-Type-based supercar

British sports car marque Lister has unveiled its first new car in more than two decades, the 666bhp Thunder.

But fans will need to get their orders in fast - the new supercar, which is based on Jaguar’s critically acclaimed F-Type coupe, will be limited to only 99 units, with price tags of £139,950.

Lister was founded in 1954 by Cambridge-based racing driver and businessman Brian Lister, who had strong ties with Jaguar and created a sports car based on the brand’s Le Mans-winning D-Type.

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In 1993, Lister produced its ultra-limited Storm supercar, which went on to win the global FIA GT Championship seven years later. It had not produced another new car since - until now.

Although the Thunder looks almost identical to the F-Type, with the same silhouette, Lister has fine-tuned the base car’s 5.0 supercharged V8 engine and bumped up its power output to 666bhp - an increase of 124bhp.

The new model boasts a top speed of 208mph, with a 0-60mph acceleration time of just 3.1secs. This makes the Thunder the fastest and most powerful Lister production car yet, according to Lawrence Whittaker, the company’s chief executive.

While the Thunder is based on the F-Type, Whittaker says that Lister is “not directly affiliated” with the Jaguar Land Rover group.

But Lister is “hoping to become synonymous, once again, with tuning Jaguar vehicles, giving customers new enhanced bespoke performance and design alternatives”, he adds.

The Thunder Lister will be exhibited at the Historic Motorsport International show, at London’s ExCeL centre from 15 to 18 February.