F-TYPE Marks 75 Years Of Jaguar Sports Cars
News Editor, Takmaa News, Kolkata, 13th Oct 2022 : The Jaguar F-TYPE is the definitive Jaguar sports car from a rich bloodline spanning 75 years and including some of the most iconic models ever built.
In Coupé or Convertible form, F-TYPE offers a perfect balance of visceral performance and driver reward with a muscular, assertive design and a cabin defined by luxurious materials, exacting craftsmanship and exquisite details.
For the final Model Year, on sale from early 2023, the range has become simpler and more focused, making it easy for customers to select their perfect F-TYPE. The car looks more purposeful and assertive than ever too, with 50.80 cm (20) wheels standard on all models, and discreet detail changes such as the wheel centres and grille badge changing from red to black, and the R-Dynamic badge accent colours now black and grey instead of red and green.
To mark the final Model Year of F-TYPE and 75 years of Jaguar sports cars, customers can choose the new F-TYPE 75 special edition. This is distinguished by unique interior and exterior design elements, carefully curated specifications, and – of course – the supercharged 5.0-litre Jaguar V8 engine synonymous with F-TYPE.
Matthew Beaven, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Designer, Exteriors, said; “For 75 years Jaguar has been renowned for producing extraordinary sports cars that deliver performance, agility and maximum driver reward. The F-TYPE special edition holds true to these principles, adding unique interior and exterior design details to celebrate this lineage before Jaguar becomes an all-electric brand from 2025.”
Design
The Jaguar F-TYPE looks as dramatic as ever and is the definitive Jaguar sports car in a rich bloodline going back 75 years. The powerful proportions of the front-engine two-seater – with its body structure sculpted from light, stiff aluminium – are instantly recognisable, and the focused and assertive presence references the flowing forms from Jaguar’s rich sports car heritage, which began with the XK120 – launched in 1948 as the world’s fastest production car.
Super-slim LED headlights, featuring Pixel technology as standard**, with ‘Calligraphy’ J signature daytime running lights and sweeping direction indicators accentuate the car’s visual width and hint at its performance potential. They blend perfectly into the ‘liquid metal’ surfacing of the clamshell bonnet, which sweeps elegantly back, inspired by iconic models such as the C-type and D-type.
Unique to the F-TYPE 75 are discreet badges on the front fenders which depict the F-TYPE’s unmistakable silhouette.
As part of the curated, simplified customer offer, every F-TYPE in the range is now offered with a model-specific 50.80 cm (20) wheel as standard, with the F-TYPE 75 distinguished by its gloss black, five-spoke- and gloss black diamond-turned 10-spoke designs respectively.
The rear haunches enhance the F-TYPE’s inherently dramatic, purposeful form and sweep downwards to the slender rear LED lights with ‘Chicane’ signature. Powertrain-specific exhaust pipes emerge from the rear diffuser, clearly signalling F-TYPE’s performance intent. The four-cylinder model features a single, central, finisher while the 331 kW F-TYPE 75 V8 is identified by quad, outboard exhausts – the latter featuring subtle etched R branding.
The F-TYPE’s driver-focussed interior is a pure expression of the car’s elegance and performance. The ‘1+1’ cockpit features a 31.24 cm (12.3) reconfigurable Interactive Driver Display, offering a choice of display themes – as befits a true sports car, the default mode is characterised by the large central rev-counter.
This feature and the gearshift light subtly convey the F-TYPE’s character and performance potential, digitally enhancing the mechanical theatre of the pulsing red ‘heartbeat’ of the start button and the deployable centre air vents.
Lightweight slimline seats – in Sport or Performance designs, with the latter standard on the F-TYPE 75 – combine an ergonomically-optimised form with outstanding comfort, further enhanced by heating and cooling options. Rich materials such as Windsor leather – standard on the special edition – adds a further touch of luxury, complemented by details such as the crafted monogram stitch pattern – repeated in the door trim, with the Extended Leather Upgrade option – and Jaguar Leaper in the headrests. An Ebony Suedecloth headliner – also standard on the F-TYPE 75 – further enriches the interior.
The F-TYPE 75 is distinguished by the unique silhouette motif on the Engine Spin centre console finisher and stainless-steel tread plates, while the Interior Black Pack is another subtle enhancement.
Ride and Handling
F-TYPE continues to set the benchmark for truly involving, engaging, driver-focused sports cars. Double wishbone front- and rear suspension, meticulously tuned electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) and Torque Vectoring by Braking deliver outstanding agility and a truly connected feel. These attributes are fundamental to the car’s immediate and intuitive responses to every driver input.
The chassis of the F-TYPE 75 is further enhanced by rear knuckles made from light, stiff aluminium die castings, which, together with larger wheel bearings deliver absolute precision control of the tyre contact patch, translating to even more connected steering feel. The F-TYPE 75 also features a rear electronic active differential (EAD) to optimise traction.
All 221 kW four-cylinder F-TYPE models use meticulously tuned monotube dampers to deliver the ride and handling attributes which give these models their unique character, while F-TYPE 75 is equipped with Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics system with Configurable Dynamics. Using electronically controlled, continuously variable dampers, Adaptive Dynamics optimises both low speed comfort and high speed control, while Configurable Dynamics enables the driver to tailor the settings for suspension stiffness, steering weight, throttle response and gearshifts.
Powertrain
F-TYPE’s range of powerful, responsive engines includes four- and eight-cylinder options with outputs from 221 kW to 331 kW – a breadth of choice unrivalled in its segment. All are paired with an eight-speed Quickshift transmission with full manual control using either the SportShift gear selector or the steering wheel-mounted paddles. All engines are made at Jaguar Land Rover’s Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton, UK.
Exclusively rear-wheel drive, the 221 kW, 2.0-litre turbocharged Ingenium four-cylinder engine generates maximum torque from just 1 500 r/min, delivering exceptional throttle response throughout the rev range. It also provides the performance expected from F-TYPE and enables acceleration from 0-100 km/h in only 5.9 s and a top speed of 250 km/h.
The 331 kW, 5.0-litre supercharged V8 has been developed to offer exploitable, useable and rewarding performance – maximum torque of 580 Nm is generated from 2 500 r/min. The F-TYPE 75, available in rear-wheel drive, features an electronic active rear differential to optimise traction, and enables 0-100 km/h in just 4.6 s and a maximum speed of 285 km/h.
Each engine is matched to a switchable active exhaust system as standard. The distinctive crackle and pop on the overrun synonymous with F-TYPE, remains, with sounds meticulously tuned to suit the distinctive character of each model. Highly efficient, close-coupled particulate filters help to minimise emissions.
Customers who choose a V8 benefit from the Quiet Start function, which ensures a more subtle, refined start-up sound: electrically actuated bypass valves in the rear silencer remain closed until they automatically open up under load, releasing the signature roar which has always been fundamental to the F-TYPE driving experience. If desired, Quiet Start can be over-ridden by selecting Dynamic Mode or by pressing the switchable exhaust button before starting the engine.
The first customer deliveries begin from early 2023 – the year which marks 75 years of Jaguar sports cars – and a pivotal moment in the brand’s history as it proudly moves towards an all-electric future from 2025.
