The 'new E-type'
Any new twin-seat convertible from Jaguar is bound to feel the burden of precedent, says Giles Smith in The Sunday Times. It’s always going to be hard to follow the iconic E-type, which even Enzo Ferrari had to admit was “the most beautiful car ever made”.
Can this new F-type compete? Journalists have so far only been allowed to sit alongside the driver in a pre-production prototype. But even so, "the car glows", says Smith – "small but somehow stately, like its predecessor; immediately prestigious and yet simple in its lines, as a sports car ought to be".
The car has a light, stiff aluminium structure, and the company has concentrated in particular on the steering, seeking agility and precision, says Smith. In the test drive, the car felt untroubled and comfortable at what felt like a cruising speed of 70mph. It was actually doing 170mph. “E-type fans, the wait is almost over.”
It’s not quite like any other Jag I’ve been in, says Harry Metcalfe of Evo magazine. “It’s a properly grumbly, barking, crackling sort of car”; nimble, torquey, and much more of a sports car than you might expect – or dared hope.
Price: £79,950
On sale: April
Engine: 5,000cc, V8
Power: 488bhp @ 6,5000rpm
Top speed: 186mph
0-62mph: 4.3 seconds