Jaguar Land Rover has launched a new Special Operations division which will produce high performance and ultra-luxury special edition cars.

The new division will be led by managing director John Edwards and plans to operate in four key areas – high performance Jaguars and Land Rovers, bespoke vehicles, heritage and restoration and merchandising.

Edwards said: “As a business, we are completely focused on enhancing and personalising the relationship our most discerning and enthusiastic customers have with our brands.

“By creating a Special Operations division we can harness the very best talent and expertise Jaguar Land Rover has - to deliver exceptional products and services our customers will love for life.”

The Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations team of 150 designers and engineers will be led by Paul Newsome, director of special vehicle operations, recently recruited from Williams Advanced Engineering.

The team will work on present and future vehicle portfolios.

Edwards said the division had taken inspiration from Ferrari personalisation and he said the halo models would be sold in significant volumes, not just limited runs.

It is also possible Special Operations could produce limited run collector editions on top of the performance and luxury models it will be producing.