On display at the New York motor show was a new F-type Jaguar that’s to arrive in mid-2013. First there was the C-type, then D-type racing cars of the 1950’s. The 1960’s gave use an E-Type for the public road. But the world has being crying out for a Jaguar to be labelled (or should that be ‘crowned’) as an F-type. After five decades of waiting, although there have been an interim of other sports coupes and cabriolets from the brand. Namely the long produced XJS and two incarnations of the XK, the F-type is coming soon.
Jaguar’s Chief designer Ian Callum said “A true sports car needs to be pure in both its purpose and form. The C-type, D-type and E-type Jaguars were all sports cars that held true to this principle in their era, and the F-TYPE will hold true to that same principle in its time, a time that is soon to arrive.”
The forth-coming F-Type is under accelerated development since the positive reaction of the C-X16 concept in September 2011, and prototypes are already being produced at Birmingham’s Castle Bromwich plant for on-road testing, before the final production-line model rolls out of the same facility next year, priced at around £50,000.
Drawing on Jaguar’s expertise in aluminium, the car will be of aluminium construction and be a strict two-seater, with the focus being on being rewarding to drive. It will be available as a soft top convertible initially, followed by a conventional hard-top coupe. It will be powered by a range of petrol engines – a new line up of performance powerplants, propelling the car up to 186mph.
The new F-type will join the existing Jaguar Range of XF, XF Sportbrake, XJ saloon, and XK coupe and convertible. Due to the arrive of the F-type, future XK models will move up market, being bigger and offering a true 2+2 configuration to rival the likes of the Maserati Gran Turismo.
Jaguar’s global brand boss said “The core appeal of Jaguar’s cars is their sporting heart, and that heart will beat stronger than ever before in the F-TYPE. Engineers and design teams have produced a world-leader in a market segment that we have been absent from for too long. But no longer – the F-TYPE is coming.” 
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