Hello and goodbye to the Jaguar F-Type. It’s been with us for a only 11 short years but unfortunately this is it’s last hurrah. It never was nor meant to be a volume seller, selling in hundreds of units per months instead of tens of thousands. Add that along with the ever changing automotive landscape, Jaguar decided to put the name late to rest. Like the legendary E-Type the F-Type was the singular vehicle in Jaguar’s lineup that even made the most casual automotive observer…stop, stare and admire.
It’s refreshed design that debuted back in 2021, elevated it’s beauty to legendary levels. It’s no stretch to call this one of the best looking vehicles ever made. From it’s narrow headlamps, short overhangs, tidy beltlines to the rakish rearend, the F-Type is a vehicle whose mere presence will forever etch ‘Jaguar’ to your subconscious. All of that is before you hear it.
I have driven hundreds of vehicles and I say without a doubt in mind…this V8 F-Type is the best sounding out of the entire lot. Even in the most racous setting, it is still quiet and civilized around town. Only when you pass above 4K RPM is when the gates to Hell are thrown open, unleashing Lucifer and his hordes of demons screaming out of its quad tailpipes. It’s loud, ferocious, dirty, snarly, enthralling and hilarious experience that everyone, at least once their life should experience! It’s a singular aural experience that will either cement the beauty of internal combustion to your heart or scare you into public transport for eternity.
If there was an achilles heal to the F-Type was its price point. Coming in at $77,900 for for the still V8 powered base model, all the up to $115,000 for this supercharged (limited edition) V8 model, it found itself in the unenviable position of being around the same price as the Boxster, Corvette and M4. The same position but with an entirely different execution to its design.
While the likes of the aforementioned models are ingrained with ‘sports car’ through and through, the F-Type never felt similar. In other words, while the F-Type has/had sports car performance, it’s/it never felt like a vehicle that one would take on a track day. On vacation yes, so blasting through the mountains in the F-Type with your significant other would be/would’ve been a joyous beautiful occasion. What makes/made the F-Type so special that it blends/blended sports car performance with the livability of a Grand Tourer.