Convertible

The new Jaguar F-Type – The Revival of the British Sports Car

By Ryan Konko

Posted on September 28, 2012

Jaguar F-Type

Bringing back the driver’s Jaguar.

A great deal of Jaguar’s history is littered with iconic sports cars that achieved great racing success. In more modern times Jaguar’s “R” models have been the most sport-oriented cars available to the public. These were arguably the closest things that customers had to driver’s cars in the model lineup, until now.

In the gardens of the Musée Rodin Museum in Paris, Jaguar introduced their new F-Type 1+1 convertible sports car lineup. The F-Type, F-Type S, and F-Type V8 S are driver-centric convertibles that bring back the sporting heritage that Jaguar was known for throughout its history while introducing a great deal of new technology into the automaker’s lineup.

Jaguar F-Type

The new Jaguar F-Type takes much of its design inspiration from historic Jaguar models and the C-X16 Concept car that was unveiled in 2011. It sports two ‘heartlines’ to create the front and rear fenders. A power bulge with hood vents emphasizes power and performance while a powerful angled grille flanked by shark-like fins and Bi-Xenon headlights stare ahead. Classic Jaguar design elements can be found at the rear where LED taillights wrap around into the rear fenders reinforce the sporting nature of the convertible. The F-Type also utilizes a deployable rear spoiler that generates 265 lbs. (120 kg) of downforce at speed. A new pair of innovative door handles that seamlessly conform to the body are deployed when necessary to open the doors.

A big part of why the new Jaguar F-Type is a driver-oriented sports car is the advanced aluminum frame that is 30 percent more rigid than other Jaguar applications. Its high rigidity and low weight is optimized for balance and was designed with state-of-the-art Computer Aided Engineering programs. To keep weight to a minimum, Jaguar incorporated an aluminum double-wishbone front and rear suspension along with a responsive quick-ratio steering rack.

Jaguar F-Type

New V-6 and V-8 engines will be offered in the Jaguar F-Type range. The base F-Type is powered by a newly designed supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine based on the famous 5.0-liter V-8 engine used in other Jaguar models. The free-revving engine produces 340 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and 332 lb-ft. between 3,500 to 5,000 RPM while achieving a 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds; 50-75 mph in 3.3 seconds; and electronically-limited top speed of 161 mph.

The Jaguar F-Type S will utilize a more potent version of the supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine producing 380 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and 339 lb-ft. from 3,500 to 5,000 RPM. Acceleration to 60 mph takes just 4.8 seconds; 50-75 mph goes by in a mere 3.1 seconds; and top speed is electronically-limited to 171 mph.

Jaguar F-Type

The range-topping Jaguar F-Type V8 S is powered by a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine with a superb power-to-weight ratio of 375 Nm/tonne. The Exciting V-8 produces a whopping 495 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and 460 lb-ft. of torque from 2,500 to 5,500 RPM to rocket the convertible to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds; 50-75 mph in 2.5 seconds; and an electronically-limited top speed of 186 mph.

Each Jaguar F-Type model will put all of those forced-induction ponies to the pavement through a close-ratio eight-speed Quickshift transmission with Dynamic Launch Control as standard on the V6 S model. The V6 S and V8 S models will also come standard with a valve-adjustable exhaust system that opens up above 3,000 RPM to create a thrilling sound.

Jaguar F-Type

Much of the interior draws inspiration from the cockpits of fighter jets and is focused on the driver. The center console features a joystick-style ShortShift selector for the Quickshift transmission while the controls are ergonomically laid out depending on function. Each air vent discreetly hides in the dashboard and deploy when activated by the driver or the algorithms created by Jaguar. The 1+1 layout is driver-centric with the controls and materials being exclusive to the one side of the cockpit.

The new Jaguar F-Type range will be available in the near future and be priced at for £58,500, the F-TYPE S for £67,500 and the F-TYPE V8 S for £79,950.

*Update! The F-Type (Supercharged V-6) will start at $69,000. The F-Type S will be priced at $81,100, while the top-of-the-line F-Type V-8 S will be available for $92,000.