Farewell to the Jaguar F-Type: A final drive of Jaguar's stunning sports car
Carbon killed this cat
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but few modern cars have been quite as universally ogled as the Jaguar F-Type. Revealed in 2012, the two-seat roadster pulled quite the crowd, as the media clamoured to see Jaguar’s long-awaited E-Type replacement. The long bonnet, pert rear end and flared arches saw our very own Jeremy Clarkson brand it “spectacularly good-looking”, but the then-new Jaguar was more than a pretty face.
Almost 40 years after the fabled E-Type was finally shelved, the F-Type took over the reins as Jaguar’s flagship sports car. Until that point, Jaguar had tried to claim a variety of sports coupés and roadsters were replacements for the E-Type, but the XJS, XK8 and XK were all too soft, too comfortable and, well, just not satisfying enough to drive to be considered true successors.
The F-Type, however, changed everything. Here was a proper sports car with clear links to the E-Type and a selection of high-performance six- and eight-cylinder engines to choose from.
Moreover, while the XK8 and the later XK were certainly attractive cars, here was a Jaguar roadster that was properly beautiful. Excitement surrounded the Jaguar brand for the first time since the launch of the radical XK and XF models.
Excitement awaited the lucky customers who would be getting their hands on an F-Type, too. Jaguar’s superlative yet short-lived supercharged 3-litre V6 petrol engine formed the bulk of the F-Type range, marked out by the two trumpet-like chrome exhausts protruding from the rear bumper in yet another nod to the car’s much-loved predecessor.
While that rip-roaring engine was offered in two states of tune, there was an even more powerful V8 monstrous option: a V8-powered, rear-wheel drive beast, available to anyone who wanted had nerves of steel (with more weight at the front and a little too much performance at the rear, we found the V8 S a little too hot to handle in slippery conditions).
But whatever engine you went found, the F-type came with the most wonderful soundtrack, and because the F-Type was only available in convertible form initially, those snarling powertrains were fabulously audible.
But while the F-Type promised plenty, its launch was not entirely smooth sailing. The car was praised for its handling and performance but criticised for the slightly low-rent interior and a distinct lack of practicality. If you opted for a spare wheel, you could barely fit anything else in the miniscule luggage bay. In short, the F-Type was good, but for sports car buyers the Porsche 911 was still better.
Naturally, Jaguar developed the range further, and the F-Type convertible was joined by a stunning Coupé version that not only addressed the issue of the roadster’s pitiful boot space, but also added yet another level of beauty to the F-Type.
Apparently, Jaguar considered giving the F-Type Coupé a side-hinged rear door instead of a hatch, to further ape the E-Type, but the company eventually dismissed the idea. It would have been a nice touch but the F-Type Coupé was beautiful enough already.
And although it would have been all too easy to do, Jaguar didn’t simply sit back and admire its handiwork. High-performance R and SVR versions followed, along with the option of all-wheel drive and a cheaper, less powerful 2-litre, four-cylinder version with the option of a manual gearbox.
The shadow of Porsche
Despite Jaguar’s fettling, though, the F-Type was always lagging behind its German nemesis, the Porsche 911. And while Jaguar worked hard to introduce new models here and there, the main issues of practicality and interior quality were never adequately addressed.
Even now, with the launch of the 75 Edition, built to celebrate not just the F-Type but also 75 years of Jaguar sports cars, the F-Type still feels too cramped and underwhelming inside to compete with the ever-brilliant Porsche.
The Jaguar’s seats are great, the upholstery is beautiful and the design isn’t that bad, but the quality of the plastics just leaves it feeling less premium than the price point would suggest.
Jaguar may have fitted some neat touches, such as the heartbeat that flashes away behind the ignition button when you get in, but natty gimmicks like that can’t hide the shortcomings, such as the horrendous buttons on the steering wheel or the wheelie bin-esque cheapness of the can’t-believe-it’s-not-carbon dashboard trim.
On the road, the F-Type is still a cracking car to drive, though, with more grip than it really needs and cat-like agility that’s complemented by confidence-inspiring steering. There’s great balance to it, which makes it predictable and easy to drive, and although it’s definitely a sports car, rather than a grand tourer, the ride is reasonably supple.
Adding a socking great V8 under the bonnet means there’s a fantastic background soundtrack, too, even though emissions regulations have neutered the noise slightly compared with the original car, but the addition of four-wheel drive prevents the eight-cylinder version from being too hot to handle.
Sadly, though, despite being a worthy rival to the 911 even at 10 years old, the latest-generation F-Type still lags behind its German counterpart in most of the ways that matter. The Porsche is simply too brilliant to fear even the most beautiful of rivals – and the F-Type is certainly beautiful.
End of the road for the F-Type
But it is now in its death throes, having used up its nine lives in a flurry of tyre smoke and banned advertisements. A handful of well-documented run-ins with the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) now seems somewhat apt in hindsight.
You see, the F-Type is not passing away due to a lack of demand or the brilliance of the 911 – although neither helped its cause – but because of emissions and the drive towards electrification. Perhaps it’s fitting that the F-Type should die as it was born: in a tangle of red tape.
Unfortunately, such a poetic ending would be an oversimplification of the F-Type’s plight. The sports car is on its way out not just because it doesn’t meet modern regulations, but because Jaguar is shifting focus for the umpteenth time in the past 25 years.
Having chased the volumes of BMW and Audi with what we might politely call “limited success”, the company is swivelling its attention to the other end of the market, where it hopes to become a high-luxury, all-electric brand sitting somewhere between the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Bentley.
It’s no surprise that the F-Type, with its combustion-powered chorus and high-revolution roar, is falling victim to that plan. For all its charms – and there are many – the F-Type is a dinosaur in a world of cyborgs, and like the death of a much-loved but ageing family pet, its demise comes with a tinge of inevitability, as well as sorrow. If the big cat’s death can save the Jaguar brand from extinction, though, at least some good can come from it.
One last gasp: The Jaguar F-Type 75
Although Jaguar is making quite a song and dance about the F-Type 75, there’s very little that’s new or different about this final special edition.
Nevertheless, it’s now the sole option for buyers who want the 5-litre, V8-powered versions of the F-Type (the 2-litre engine has soldiered on at the foot of the range, but it wasn’t deemed worthy of the 75 treatment). What you get with the 75 is black badges, a new optional paint job and some stylish F-Type motifs on the dashboard and door sills.
But what the 75 offers is less important than what it represents. This is the F-Type’s swansong, and therein lies the car’s value. There’s no doubt this is something of a collector’s item — F-Type sales were hardly enormous anyway — and the fact it feels just like other versions of Jaguar’s sports car is kind of the point.
If the 75 is trying to show us what we’ll be missing, it has succeeded. The convertible remains the F-Type of choice, despite its miniscule boot, and it brings you closer to the snarl of that fabulous V8 engine.
Although drop-top sports cars seldom handle as well as their hard-top counterparts, the F-Type was designed to be a convertible so the difference is negligible, and when you find the right combination of roads and weather, you’ll be smitten.
Yes, it’s still cheap inside and practicality remains an issue, but foibles aside, the F-Type has always been a fantastic sports car, and that isn’t about to change any time soon.
When it’s gone, we won’t remember the struggle to fit a suitcase in the back or the feel of the buttons on the steering wheel.
Instead, we’ll remember the shape, the sound and the sensations of a fabulous sports car that stands out whatever the backdrop. It might be gone very soon, but it won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
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