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PARIS, France - Jaguar has at last, at an exclusive event in the garden of the Rodin Museum in Paris ahead of the Paris auto show, officially revealed the all-new F-Type.
The two-seater convertible is, Jaguar says, “a return to the company’s heartland, focusing on performance, agility and driver involvement”. The F-Type is a continuation of a sporting bloodline stretching back more than 75 years which includes some of the most beautiful cars yet built.
Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar’s global brand director, said: “We’ve reignited that flame. The F-Type isn’t designed to be like anybody else’s sports car. It’s a Jaguar sports car – ultra-precise, powerful, sensual and, most of all, it feels alive.”
THREE VARIANTS
Aluminium is vital to the car’s light and rigid shell and, Jaguar says, the F-Type has balanced weight distribution that allows its rear-wheel drive to be explored to the full.
Three variants will be available at launch – F-Type, F-Type S and F-Type V8 S - each distinguished by the power output of its supercharged petrol engine with all engines featuring stop/start fuel-saving technology.
IMAGE GALLERY
A new three-litre V6 developed from Jaguar’s five-litre V8 will be available in either 255 or 285kW variants for the F-Type and F-Type S respectively.
Then there’s a new V8 capable of 370kW and 625Nm of torque in the V8 S which will launch the car to 100km/h in 4.2sec and on to an electronically limited 300km/h.
The 285kW V6 F-Type S covers the 0-100 sprint in 4.9sec and has an electronically limited top speed of 275km/h while the “baby” of the range, the 255kW V6, does the dash in 5.1sec and is limited to 260km/h.
EIGHT SPORTING RATIOS
“An active exhaust system, standard on the S and V8 S models,” Jaguar says, “adds another dimension of driver engagement. Valves in the exhaust system open under load from 3000rpm which allows the exhaust note to build to a thrilling crescendo at the red line.”
The F-Type has a set of eight closely-spaced, sporting ratios in its Quickshift transmission, giving greater driver control. The V6 S also includes a dynamic launch feature.
Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design director, said: “A piece of design should tell a story and this is why every line in the F-Type has a start, a direction and a conclusion. If you approach every line individually and get it as aesthetically correct as possible, get the dimensions right, it will stand the test of time.”
The car has taken its design inspiration from the C-X16 concept unveiled in 2011.
An active rear spoiler deploys at speed to reduce lift by up to 120kg and diode tail lights “create a new Jaguar sports car signature by reinterpreting classic cues from the past and, by wrapping around to the trailing edge of the rear wheel arches, emphasise the powerful stance of the car and its rear-wheel drive sporting potential”.
The focus on driver involvement and sporting performance in the F-Type is emphasised by the “one plus one” layout of the asymmetric cabin. A grab handle sweeps down the centre console on the passenger side, delineating it from the driver’s niche. Further differentiation is provided by the use of different trim materials either side of the cabin, with a more technical finish on the driver’s side.
Taking inspiration from cockpits of fighter airplanes, the controls are ergonomically grouped by function. Further aeronautical inspiration can be found in the joystick-shaped SportShift selector controlling the eight-speed transmission.
'DYNAMIC DRIVING REWARD'
The air vents on top of the fascia will only deploy when instructed to by either the driver or complex control algorithms, staying tucked discreetly out of sight in other circumstances.
Ian Hoban, Jaguar’s vehicle line director, said: “With the F-Type, the Jaguar engineering team focused on delivering greater dynamic driving reward than ever before.
“To make that a reality, every engineer has had very tough targets to hit: every one of those targets has been met and, in many cases, exceeded, to make the F-Type a car that delivers precisely the key sporting attributes that we intended.”
The F-Type will be available on the road in Britain for £58 500 (R778 000), the F-Type S for £67 500 (R898 000) and the F-Type V8 S for £79 950 (R1 036 000). The rand price conversions are merely for information and unlikely to be close to the prices in South Africa (conversions at Sept 27, 2012).
The two-seater convertible is, Jaguar says, “a return to the company’s heartland, focusing on performance, agility and driver involvement”. The F-Type is a continuation of a sporting bloodline stretching back more than 75 years which includes some of the most beautiful cars yet built.
Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar’s global brand director, said: “We’ve reignited that flame. The F-Type isn’t designed to be like anybody else’s sports car. It’s a Jaguar sports car – ultra-precise, powerful, sensual and, most of all, it feels alive.”
THREE VARIANTS
Aluminium is vital to the car’s light and rigid shell and, Jaguar says, the F-Type has balanced weight distribution that allows its rear-wheel drive to be explored to the full.
Three variants will be available at launch – F-Type, F-Type S and F-Type V8 S - each distinguished by the power output of its supercharged petrol engine with all engines featuring stop/start fuel-saving technology.
IMAGE GALLERY
A new three-litre V6 developed from Jaguar’s five-litre V8 will be available in either 255 or 285kW variants for the F-Type and F-Type S respectively.
Then there’s a new V8 capable of 370kW and 625Nm of torque in the V8 S which will launch the car to 100km/h in 4.2sec and on to an electronically limited 300km/h.
The 285kW V6 F-Type S covers the 0-100 sprint in 4.9sec and has an electronically limited top speed of 275km/h while the “baby” of the range, the 255kW V6, does the dash in 5.1sec and is limited to 260km/h.
EIGHT SPORTING RATIOS
“An active exhaust system, standard on the S and V8 S models,” Jaguar says, “adds another dimension of driver engagement. Valves in the exhaust system open under load from 3000rpm which allows the exhaust note to build to a thrilling crescendo at the red line.”
The F-Type has a set of eight closely-spaced, sporting ratios in its Quickshift transmission, giving greater driver control. The V6 S also includes a dynamic launch feature.
Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design director, said: “A piece of design should tell a story and this is why every line in the F-Type has a start, a direction and a conclusion. If you approach every line individually and get it as aesthetically correct as possible, get the dimensions right, it will stand the test of time.”
The car has taken its design inspiration from the C-X16 concept unveiled in 2011.
An active rear spoiler deploys at speed to reduce lift by up to 120kg and diode tail lights “create a new Jaguar sports car signature by reinterpreting classic cues from the past and, by wrapping around to the trailing edge of the rear wheel arches, emphasise the powerful stance of the car and its rear-wheel drive sporting potential”.
The focus on driver involvement and sporting performance in the F-Type is emphasised by the “one plus one” layout of the asymmetric cabin. A grab handle sweeps down the centre console on the passenger side, delineating it from the driver’s niche. Further differentiation is provided by the use of different trim materials either side of the cabin, with a more technical finish on the driver’s side.
Taking inspiration from cockpits of fighter airplanes, the controls are ergonomically grouped by function. Further aeronautical inspiration can be found in the joystick-shaped SportShift selector controlling the eight-speed transmission.
'DYNAMIC DRIVING REWARD'
The air vents on top of the fascia will only deploy when instructed to by either the driver or complex control algorithms, staying tucked discreetly out of sight in other circumstances.
Ian Hoban, Jaguar’s vehicle line director, said: “With the F-Type, the Jaguar engineering team focused on delivering greater dynamic driving reward than ever before.
“To make that a reality, every engineer has had very tough targets to hit: every one of those targets has been met and, in many cases, exceeded, to make the F-Type a car that delivers precisely the key sporting attributes that we intended.”
The F-Type will be available on the road in Britain for £58 500 (R778 000), the F-Type S for £67 500 (R898 000) and the F-Type V8 S for £79 950 (R1 036 000). The rand price conversions are merely for information and unlikely to be close to the prices in South Africa (conversions at Sept 27, 2012).
