It was 50 years before Jaguar launched a pure sports car. The famous E-Type finally has a worthy sucessor.
Enzo Ferrari once said that the Jaguar E-Type was the most beautiful car in the world. Although subjective, as all opinions are, the affirmation of the legendary Italian car manufacturer was more than enough to convince those who still needed convincing that this was a very special’s object. The E-Type remains the English brand's most popular creation, and to say that its successor has been on the shelf for 50 years wouldn't be far from the truth, as the F-Type was something that Jaguar owed the thousands of car lovers all around the world. In 2013, that dream came true.
The brainchild of Ian Callum, one of the most important car designers today, the F-Type is the reinvention of a classic, completely turned to the future. Jaguar says that 85% of the F-Type customers are new to the brand, which shows just how important the model is. Its appeal must then go beyond simple aesthetic, drawing people in for its dynamic, technology and performance.
After a week at the wheel of the intermediate version between the V6 with 340hp and the V8 with 495hp, called the V6S, the feeling you get is that it's a privilege to know that there's a car like this waiting for you in the garage. With a 3-litre V6 engine offering 380hp, the F-Type V6 S accelerates to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds, but the experience is even better than the numbers make out.
With the top down and the rotations close to the red line, the F-Type is a machine of extremely strong emotions. Through the Dynamic Drive system you can control the feeling of the steering, the precision of the accelerator, the sound of the exhaust and the gear-shift speed of the Quickshift transmission with paddles mounted behind the steering wheel.
The rear axle has a mechanical limited-slip differential, to offer the ideal traction coming out of bends and allow a few more controlled extremes, when the objective is to see the rear slide out. On a winding road, the F-Type is a direct rival of the Porsche 911 – and there's no bigger compliment than that.
On a peaceful road, ideally a coastal road, the F-Type is almost unbeatable, by any car of any make in whatever price bracket.The interior has the same sporty character as the exterior, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials, comfort and a wide range of options for the infotainment system. Rarely are five decades worth waiting this much for: the F-Type is intoxicating and certainly a catalyst for a new generation of followers of the make.
