The Lister Thunder made its official debut on Wednesday, January 31. Less than 24 hours later, almost a quarter of all units Lister plans to produce were sold. The mad rush to score a unit of the Lister Thunder resulted in 22 sales of the sports car. Considering that each car costs £139,950 ($198,000) and only 99 units are planned, selling 22 units in less than a day is a pretty impressive haul for a company that’s been dormant for so long.
“There’s something impressive about a car company that sold £3.1 million worth of Lister Thunder models a day after debuting the car”
There’s something impressive about a car company that sold £3.1 million worth of Lister Thunder models a day after debuting the car. Do the math, and that adds up to $4.4 million. That in itself is a remarkable achievement, but so is the fact that, according to Lister, the Thunder is now the fastest-selling model in the company’s 65-year history. That distinction sits on top of the sports car also being the fastest and most powerful Lister model ever created.
“I am delighted, overwhelmed and gratified by the huge level of interest and excitement the Thunder has already generated,” Lister CEO Lawrence Whittaker said. “Following the release of the Thunder prototype, the number of phone calls and email inquiries have been bonkers.”
Though the company isn’t associated with Jaguar, Lister has a long and storied relationship with the Big Cat, one that dates back to the 1950s when it built the Jaguar “Knobbly” D-Types that raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours during that decade. Over the years, Lister continued to produce numerous bespoke Jags, culminating in its latest — and most powerful — creation: the Thunder.
“Each car costs £139,950 ($198,000) and only 99 units are planned”
Don’t be fooled by the F-Pace exterior. The Thunder makes the F-Pace look like a purring kitty by comparison. It uses the same 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 engine that’s been completely re-engineered to produce a whopping 666 horsepower. That kind of power helps the sports car accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, 0.3 seconds quicker than the range-topping, 575-horsepower F-Type SVR. It’s also capable of hitting a top speed of 208 mph, comfortably beating the 200-mph top speed of the F-Type SVR.
The overwhelming response to the Thunder is a shot in the arm to a company that has bigger goals for the future. “Like Brabus and AMG with Mercedes and Alpina with BMW, we are hoping to become synonymous once again with tuning Jaguar vehicles, giving customers new enhanced, bespoke performance and design alternatives to Jaguar’s acclaimed model programme,” Whittaker said.
“Although we are not directly affiliated with Jaguar Land Rover, Lister has a Jaguar tuning heritage dating back 65 years. Our new Lister Thunder is the fastest and most powerful Lister ever created. I am utterly proud of what we have achieved, and the Thunder is just the beginning.”
Considering the number of Thunder models that were sold a day after the car’s debut, I’d say Lister’s off to a good start.