Jaguar F-Type officially unveiled 27 | 09 | 2012
JAGUAR'S SUCCESSOR TO the iconic E-Type took centre stage at the Paris Motor Show. The all-new F-Type, designed by Scot Ian Callum and his team, will enter Scottish showrooms next May as a convertible. The coupe version will follow around 18 months later.
Prices for the F-Type — which sits between the Porsche Boxster and 911 in terms of size: it's 21mm shorter than a Porsche 911, and 128mm longer and 4mm taller than a Boxster — start at £58,500 and rise to £79,950 for the V8 model.
“I was very aware of Jaguar’s history when I designed this car,” Callum said. “I am acutely aware of every detail of the E-type, and I love it. It is Jaguar’s rightful place, building a two-seat sports car, and that history gave me a great deal of confidence going into this project.
“If people want to compare this design to the E-type’s that’s fine, but that wasn’t the goal and it wasn’t on my mind. I hope this car will be considered for its own place in the record books. This is a Jaguar F-type.”
See more official photos of the new Jaguar F-Type
And the new F-Type was welcomed by Jaguar's global brand director, Adrian Hallmark.
"This is the car to take the brand from successful niche player to successful global player," he said. "In fact, this is the most important car for Jaguar for 50 years. This is the essence of the Jaguar driving experience.
"Jaguar is built on three pillars that have underpinned all our success: technology, design and performance. This car has them all.
"This is the first breakthrough product in the new era of Jaguar. It is that significant
"We not only had external challenges to face, but internal challenge: creating a spiritual successor to the cars sir William Lyons made so famous."
The F-type gets a clamshell bonnet, sloping tail and tail light design, plus slim vertical headlights which follow the shape of the car and form part of a pair of ‘heartlines’ on either side that start at the gills, run over the front wings, and drop down into the door lines before disappearing into the rear wings.
At the back of the car, there's LED lights which wrap around the wings, a diffuser, and integrated into it is the exhaust pipes – twin central pipes for V6 models and split quad pipes for V8 models.
Jaguar's new F-Type: First photos
There's also a hidden spoiler which rises from the rear at speeds over 60mph, and goes down again when the speed drops below 40mph. The Jaguar name sits proudly on the bootlid, as well as the badge
The roof can be raised and lowered in 12 seconds at speeds of up to 30mph, and boot space is 200.5 litres. Not surprisingly, Jaguar will offer you bespoke luggage to fit its awkward shape.
There will also be a choice of three engines in the line-up: two V6s and a V8. The entry-level 335bhp V6 will deliver a 0-62mph time of 5.3sec and a limited top speed of 161mph, with emissions of 209g/km. The larger 375bhp V6 cuts the 0-62mph time to 4.9sec and extending the max to 171mph. CO2 emissions are rated at 213g/km.
The range-topping V8 engine in the S model develops 488bhp, hits 62mph from standstill in 4.5sec and carries on to a top speed of 186mph.
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Jim McGill