Jaguar C-X16 photos amaze, delight, amaze some more

Stop the Internet. Yes, the whole thing. Now, damnit, put that gif away! Remember a couple of weeks ago we showed you a sketch of the C-X16 'baby Jag'? We've got some official pictures now and it's more beautiful than we could ever have fathomed.

It's reminiscent of the C-X75 jet-powered concept we showed you at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, but with added badassery. Seriously -- it's like staring into the eyes of your first-born child, or gazing upon the Aurora Borealis, or looking directly into Einstein's brain. 

We could go on for ages about the car's looks, but what's arguably more interesting is the stuff under the bonnet. The C-X16 is driven by a hybrid propulsion system that combines a 375bhp, supercharged, 3-litre, V6 engine with a 92bhp electric motor and a 1.6kWh battery pack. Together, they provide groin-tingling performance -- 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 186mph.

Curiously, the battery and electric motor can be used to supply a sudden burst of on-demand performance, just like the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) used on modern F1 cars. Push a button on the steering wheel and it'll unleash an additional 90-odd brake horsepower and 173lb-ft of torque -- not to mention a little bit of wee from whoever's sat in your passenger seat.

Like all good hybrids, the C-X16 concept can be driven in a pure electric mode at up to 50mph without the assistance of the V6 engine, though Jaguar hasn't yet told us how far it can be driven in this mode.

Officially, Jaguar has yet to confirm whether the C-X16 will go into production, but we'll eat our fists if this isn't on the road at some point in the very near future. Have a flick through the photos in our gallery above and let us know what you think in the comments below. Actually, safe yourself the bother, we know you love it.