back to article Jaguar F-Type: A beautiful British thoroughbred

The Jaguar F-Type Coupe is beautiful. It looks good in our pictures here but in the aluminium it’s even more wonderful. Before I got the car for review I saw one in traffic and my heart just sang. Designer Ian Callum is a genius and there are no bad angles, but front on and particularly three quarter rear it’s exceptional. …

  1. Zog_but_not_the_first
    Happy

    How to do it

    A nice looking and sounding car. Things like this are a credit to Tata's policy of allowing good engineers to create good cars and giving them the resources to do it.

    What a contrast to the company's previous owners who tried to cut costs at every turn.

    If only we could magic away all those f****** accountants and replace them with engineers.

    1. MrXavia

      Re: How to do it

      I agree, as soon as Tata took over, they let the XF become a beautiful car much closer to the original prototype.

      I prefer the standard XF body than the 'estate' SportBrake, no idea why the author compared to that.

      The pop up gear knob is cool, but I think the opening/closing air vents are even cooler ;-D

      1. Antony 4

        Re: How to do it

        The XF was already a beautiful car, you cheeky scamp. Some people including myself prefer the front (and the rear) of the original design. More Jaguarish, I think.

  2. Uberseehandel

    Its No E-Type

    Lovely car as it is, it isn't a Series 1 E-Type. The sublime beauty and menace of the latter still has the ability to stun onlookers into silence. I wonder if the F-Type will be so greatly admired 54 years after its release?

    Not all is lost, an eccentric company called Eagle fortunately creates modern E-Types with uptodate running gear and drivetrains, unfortunately, at a price.

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Its No E-Type

      Luckily it's not a Series 1 E-Type.

      The F is infinitely more reliable, it has brakes that work and tyres that grip.

  3. BillDarblay

    What a stupid article.

    Is anyone here, interested in Indian cars made for Arabs and Chinese?

    1. present_arms

      Jag might be Indian owned, but it's made in Britain, using British designers, engineers, testers. next time there is an Aston Martin review are you going to complain about it being once owned by an American company, or hey how about buying a Nissan, made in UK but Japanese owned... any how you're an idiot.

      1. returnmyjedi

        Aston Martin is owned by a hodgepodge of British, Kuwati, American and multinational venture capitalists so the argument is even less valid.

        1. present_arms

          Agreed, Aston used to be Ford owned but I knew it was sold on, wasn't sure who too though and while typing didn't bother too look it up :P

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Jag might be Indian owned

        From my limited experience of them, the Tata family are a lot more pro-British (and pro British engineering) than the previous owners of the British car and motorbike industry. It is a sad fact that many British councils and pension funds are invested in Apple shares, while Indians have actually invested in the UK.

        1. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects

          Judging by the photos

          > Jag is Indian owned

          FTFY

          But while I am here, I have to day it looks distinctly USAish; does it have polyethylene body panels to prove it?

        2. RikC

          Re: Jag might be Indian owned

          Well if so the one thing I would do owning Jaguar currently is change the style of headlights used. Because the recent batch of Jaguars (XK(R), XF, XJ mk 4 constantly makes me think I'm looking at a rather large/posh Deawoo. The F also has this again, be it to a slightly lesser extent. So maybe we're already heading in the right direction.

    2. Dr_N

      "Is anyone here, interested in Indian cars made for Arabs and Chinese?"

      Is anyone here interested in your ranty UKIPer comments?

      1. El_Fev

        Re: "Is anyone here, interested in Indian cars made for Arabs and Chinese?"

        GTFO im voting UKIP, and could not give a fuck. He sounds more like old labour harking back to the 70's

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: "Is anyone here, interested in Indian cars made for Arabs and Chinese?"

          "He sounds more like old labour harking back to the 70's"

          The Leyland workers in the 1970s knew perfectly well the problem was the poor quality of British management. Bluster and confrontation is no substitute for good HR practice, leadership, ability to negotiate with the City and up to date knowledge of industrial engineering. Combine this with antiquated union leaders and a lack of genuine democracy in the union movement, and you had a recipe for disaster, which duly happened. I don't really think that, in the 60s, Heath and Wilson had very different views of British industry. The difference was that Heath wanted to fix the managements and Wilson wanted to fix the unions. From what I saw of both of them, they were both basically decent blokes trying to do an impossible job.

          In the end the answer has turned out to be a generation of foreign management.

        2. Dr_N

          @El_Fev

          Re: "Is anyone here, interested in Indian cars made for Arabs and Chinese?"

          "GTFO im voting UKIP, and could not give a fuck."

          Obviously.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re "Is anyone here interested in your ranty UKIPer comments?"

        I think he sounds more BNP than UKIP.....

    3. teabag36

      What a brilliant article.

      I'm here and interested in a superbly engineered British car. I'm so glad Ford's bean counters sold it off to the Indians. Credit to them for knowing how to run a car business as Jag and Land Rover are focussed on making great cars and not rebodied Modeos.

      I'm not Arab, Chinese and rich, but its still a desirable thing and I was pleased to read about it.

    4. GitMeMyShootinIrons

      I rather think you're on the wrong site. Try:

      Www.dailymail.co.uk

      Otherwise, nice to see automotive xenophobia isn't dead.

    5. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

      Re: BillDarblay

      Post less.

      C.

    6. werdsmith Silver badge

      Indian cars made for Arabs and Chinese

      "Is anyone here, interested in Indian cars made for Arabs and Chinese?"

      It's a British car, engineered and styled in Britain by a mostly British team. Then, it's manufactured in Britain using British components. Most of the money it makes stays in Britain.

      Will you tell me that Guinness is not an Irish drink because Guinness is owned by London based Diageo?

    7. fruitoftheloon
      WTF?

      @Bd

      Bd,

      Yes, people who are not narrow-minded eejits...

      J

    8. MrXavia

      Jaguars are made in the UK, designed by the British, built by the British, for the world...

      Well they have JUST opened a Chinese factory to cope with demand, but they are LHD cars so we won't have to deal with the lower quality workmanship....

      Jaguars are lovely cars, inside and out... I can't think of any other brand car I've enjoyed as much.

    9. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Would you care to name what you consider to be a wholly British car company?

  4. Wizardofaus
    Unhappy

    Do they do a version for people who can drive, or is it exclusively for the xbox generation?

    ...... what he said.

    1. returnmyjedi

      Re: Do they do a version for people who can drive, or is it exclusively for the xbox generation?

      It's a far more involving drive than a mark one E-Type. Not as pretty for sure, bit the older car had very wobbly steering and a soggy suspension.

    2. Ogi

      Re: Do they do a version for people who can drive, or is it exclusively for the xbox generation?

      Yes, Jaguar made it clear they will be providing a Manual option:

      http://www.carthrottle.com/post/its-official-the-jaguar-ftype-is-getting-a-manual-box/

      If I ever have the money (I can dream), I'll get one of these. I love the look, and the main reason I never considered a XK8/R was the lack of manual option.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    If I was stupidly rich...

    ...and could buy any car at all I think an Aston would be top of the list (based purely on looks). I'd buy something more practical for shopping and the school run.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. MGJ

      Re: If I was stupidly rich...

      I regularly go shopping in my 1973 DS23. Nice big boot, and lots of comments in the car park at Waitrose.

    3. Martin

      Re: If I was stupidly rich...

      I'd buy something more practical for shopping and the school run. - that being a Bowler Wild Cat.

      So what would you use to go off-road? A Challenger Tank?

      1. imanidiot Silver badge

        Re: If I was stupidly rich...

        Bowler Nemesis, obviously...

  6. Mondo the Magnificent
    Pint

    Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British success!

    Beautiful sums it up and more importantly, designed and built in Britain...

    We've seen many of our marques crash and burn over the past few decades, MG Rover, Leyland etc. and when the wheels fall off, no British investment arm or bank seems to want to put them back on, hence us losing the MG/Rover marque to a Chinese consortium.

    We've always been good at building "foreign" cars like the Nissan Micra and the Hondas but there is so little left of our large volume production line brands.

    Poor Jaguar Land Rover, they really had a table tennis type heritage with Land Rover being owned by BMW, who scooped the Mini to enter the front-wheel-drive market without having to call it a BMW and building on a brand that has a good reputation and fun factor

    The two were then bought by Ford who really had no idea what to do with it except plod the Jaguar X-Type body on a Mondeo chassis..

    Enter Tata and they just let it be, as they said, no one understands the brand, design and manufacture better than the Brits..

    The results have been astounding to be honest, the products are good, at least once a year I read in the Midlands section of the BBC news page that Jaguar/Land Rover are hiring more staff, so all in an ever better story..

    The F Type shows that Jaguar's designers and owners are astute and adapting to en ever changing market. Sure everyone loves a big, fast and beautiful car and even better when it's got a fantastic marque, as Jaguar does.

    The Jags ooze class and although they are not cheap, I still think it's a viable alternative to BMW and Mercedes, plus buying one, the owner knows that it's proudly British, provides jobs, export revenues and still turns heads when you drive it...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British success!

      2+2 equals what?

      Quote: We've always been good at building "foreign" cars like the Nissan Micra and the Hondas and Enter Tata and they just let it be, as they said, no one understands the brand, design and manufacture better than the Brits.

      If you are not seeing the common denominator I will spell it for you - the top management, the accounting dept and the people with the wallet making decisions are not British. In either case. I personally find it hilarious that an Indian corporation is more forward looking, more willing to invest into new technology and new designs than any of the British owners and financial backers of the British manufacturing industry... Oooops... sorry my fault... Are there any at all? Do not think so. Probably for a reason too.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British marketing of the 60s!

        So compared to Tesla's innovation we take a big car, put a big engine in it and innovate the hell out of marketing its links to the 60s E-type ( a car that was very pretty but not exactly the last word in automotive engineering).

        Perhaps that's the advantage the Germans have, they don't have to design Porsche, BMW, MB and Audi based purely on the world's nostalgia for the Germany of half a century ago.

        1. werdsmith Silver badge

          Re: Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British marketing of the 60s!

          "Perhaps that's the advantage the Germans have, they don't have to design Porsche, BMW, MB and Audi based purely on the world's nostalgia for the Germany of half a century ago."

          Of course they do, where it's appropriate. The bring back the gull-wing doors on Mercedes, they maintain the Porsche 911 shape and configuration with the engine hanging out the back for 40 years,

          they pastiche the VW Beetle, resurrect the Bugatti marque. BMW retro styled the Z8 etc. Those are the ones that come immediately to mind, I'm sure there's more.

          Jag have just made a tenuous link in marketing back to the E-Type in order remind everyone that they have a long heritage and are no an upstart. The F-Type is utterly modern.

          I believe Jag have a long way to go to recover from the Ford era, and are now setting up their Ingenium engines plants. I'm pretty sure that when they have sorted out the fundamentals the electric powertrain will be attacked and they will come up with something different.

    2. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British success!

      "We've always been good at building "foreign" cars like the Nissan Micra and the Hondas"

      That's because Japanese management value their workers, unlike BL(*) and they know that if they produce a crap car, people won't buy it.

      (*) Not that I'm exonerating the unions. The leadership took a crappy situation and made it worse for political points. Noone came out of that mess looking good on any side.

      BTW: Nissan and Honda do a lot of R&D in the UK. It's ironic that a "Japanese car" can be designed in the UK by british engineers and built in the UK using parts almost entirely manufactured in the UK, whilst a typcal "British" car is a german design built in Belgium or Frankfurt, yet the former gets a bunch of hate poured over it.

      Now as for that Jag: Keyless entry. Hmmm.... Can I get insurance on it if I park it on the street in North London?

    3. david bates

      Re: Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British success!

      Thank God the Chinese did NOT get Rover. MGR leased the brand from Ford so they could never build a Rover badged 4x4.

      Amusingly SAIC failed to realise this and specced a load of grilles etc to take the Rover shield, and were promptly told to piss off. This is why they invented Roewe, with its sheild shaped badge.

      Rover is back where it belongs, sleeping quietly at Solihull. MG, on the other hand, is utterly, utterly screwed.

      1. Alan Brown Silver badge

        Re: Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British success!

        "Rover is back where it belongs, sleeping quietly at Solihull."

        Sleeping is one way of putting it.

        Rust in pieces.

    4. Lars Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Jaguar (Land Rover) an icon of British success!

      @ Mondo the Magnificent,

      I did up vote your post but trying to point the finger abroad is just silly.

      As we know the French the Germans and not even the Italians lost the plot the way the Brits did.

      And it's not only the car industry it's the same with motorcycles. ships. yachts, it's more or less everything.

      It does not help trying to understand it and perhaps trying to do something about it, if you are not prepared to look into the mirror.

      You have to know the past to understand the present, they say. GB was made from trade, not manufacturing. The London stock exchange is still doing well.

      Although the industrial revolution started in England with the steam engine the internal combustion engine, the diesel the wankel and the first flying jet engine where German.

      Around the year 1900 there where more cars and airplanes in France than in England.

      If you want to change something then you have to understand what went wrong and why.

      As for the Jag, nice, but I must admit I rather have the "something more practical" at

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF80q9jmaC0

  7. Hollerith 1

    How wide is it?

    If it is 'deceptively wide' then it is a narrow car, just as house that is 'deceptively small' means a house is large.

    But a gorgeous-looking car. Please, oh goddess of the lottery, please.

    1. Alister

      Re: How wide is it?

      This may be a transatlantic mis-understanding, or just a difference of opinion, but I have always understood the phrase deceptively small to mean that something is smaller than expected, and therefore deceptively wide would mean wider than it looks.

      1. imanidiot Silver badge

        Re: How wide is it?

        This may be a transatlantic mis-understanding, or just a difference of opinion, but I have always understood the phrase deceptively small to mean that something is smaller than expected, and therefore deceptively wide would mean wider than it looks.

        Agreed with , thats how I read it.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    We need more aluminium cars

    Rust is annoying.

    1. bazza Silver badge

      Re: We need more aluminium cars

      Jag have been particularly clever with aluminium construction.

      They have a technique that allows them to press complex curves out of it. Aluminium has a tendancy to spring out of shape after pressing, unlike steel. So getting it right is difficult. Takes a lot of skill with the metalurgy to get the alloy just right.

      They join aluminium body components together with a combination of glue and something like a self drilling barbed rivet. Very strong, and I'm guess quite quick to assemble.

      The result is that they can make an alumimium monocoque chassis very easily and quickly. That makes it cheaper. It's also a lot lighter than hanging aluminimum panels off a welded tubular frame (which is how some other aluminium cars are made).

      I read somewhere a while back that an aluminimum Jag was 200kg lighter than the competing aluminium Audi; quite a feat of engineering. That degree of weight saving is multiplied by not needing such a big engine (so that's lighter too) for a given amount of performance, and the handling is significantly improved too.

      Clever chaps.

      1. david bates

        Re: We need more aluminium cars

        I'd say Landrover have been quite clever more than Jag....LR have used aluminium since they started, in fact that's why Landrover was invented....

        1. Eddy Ito

          Re: We need more aluminium cars

          As long as they remember to do a nice job of isolating the steel bits, like brake lines, because that whole galvanic thing can be a real bitch.

          Oh, regarding the monocoque, if I had money to put on it I'd say they are using at least as much epoxy as they are rivets.

          1. ckm5

            Re: We need more aluminium cars

            The rivets are only there to hold the panels while the glue sets. It's called rivet bonding and it's not really new. Car roofs (esp. minivans) have been joined this way for decades, and Lotus was the first to use this technique structurally with aluminum in the Elise.

        2. imanidiot Silver badge

          Re: We need more aluminium cars

          On the other hand it can't be said that LR construction (especially the old series LR) is lightweight. Even the aluminium bits together are quite hefty. Not to mention the rather sturdy steel ladderchassis and firewall.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: We need more aluminium cars

          The Land Rover used unstressed Birmabright aluminium magnesium alloy riveted to steel. This is quite different from an Al monocoque.

    2. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: We need more aluminium cars

      Aluminium cars can spectacularly corrode too. I saw a X1/9 a long time ago which was proof of this.

      1. 101

        Re: We need more aluminium cars

        Yes, there can be oxidation. But, I am thinking it might be easy to wash off with the right chemical.

  9. Steve D
    Unhappy

    But can you change a headlight bulb?

    Nice looker, but how easy is it to change a headlight bulb? Can you do it by the side of the road, by torchlight, after a traffic cop has stopped you for having a blown headlamp bulb?

    Is there somewhere to store a full size spare wheel without displacing passengers or luggage?

    1. GitMeMyShootinIrons

      Re: But can you change a headlight bulb?

      If you want that level of practicality, perhaps you need the latter half of Jaguar Land Rover. They do a big old monster called the Defender...

    2. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: But can you change a headlight bulb?

      If they're LEDs, you shouldn't need to for at least a decade. Even the HIDs in my current car lasted 11 years before one popped.

  10. x 7

    1) How easy is it to change the spark plugs and how much do they cost?

    2) "the F-Type Coupé's structure is exclusively riveted and bonded ....." sounds like a recipe for future problems. Rivets wear and rattle. And I'll bet post-crash damage repair is going to be close to impossible unless the body shell is replaced each time - or is sent back to the factory for repair. Few - if any body shops will have the skills or equipment to fix even minor dents

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

      1) How easy is it to change the spark plugs and how much do they cost?

      You've spent 70K on the car, why do you care? You'll be paying someone else to do it for you.

      2) "the F-Type Coupé's structure is exclusively riveted and bonded ....." sounds like a recipe for future problems

      It's aluminium, rivets/bonding is far more more reliable and repairable than welding.

    2. david bates

      Of course body shops will be able to men's minor dents and scratches - and more. They've been fixing Landrovers for decades.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Is there a body shop that can fix this man's minor dents and scratches?

        You don't fix dents in Landies - you just wait until you hit another wall in the same place to knock the dent out.

    3. ckm5

      Hard to fix, yes, but not really impossible. In some ways it's easier because the bonding doesn't introduce heat distortion (vs welding). The main problem is aluminum. Steel can be reformed after a crash, but aluminum can't due to work hardening during the impact. So the whole panel needs to be replaced. This generally involves cutting/disolving the bonding agent and rivet-bonding a new panel - easier than welding, but more parts to be replaced.

      FYI, rivets are just there to hold the panels while bonding - they are not structural nor do they carry any load at all. It's much, much stronger than traditional spot welding since the joints are continually bonded.

  11. Chris Mellor 1

    Not a Boxster? Pah!

    2nd reason to buy it is because it's not a Boxster? Pah!

    Chris.

    (Boxster owner)

  12. earl grey
    Meh

    hopefully they have the paint sorted

    i recall the older bro having a v-12 that the bonnet had to be repeatedly re-painted as whatever whitewash they used failed in short order. That said, this is a nice looking beasty and i wouldn't mind having one to run about in for a bit.

  13. Oldfogey

    Fast cars?

    Many years ago (no, longer than that), when the E type was young, I was overtaken by one on the minor roads south of Coventry.

    A beautiful car, which came blasting past me on a straight, driven by a middle aged man with a long haired blond (female) in the passenger seat.

    Of course the road went twisty soon after, so I sat behind him, and it soon became obvious that he didn't know the road, and wasn't at all sure of himself in the car on the bends.

    In due course we came to what looked like a blind bend, but which I knew you could get a clear view round if you knew when and where to look - so I dropped back, then accelerated as hard as my car would go, and nipped round him on the bend before he could pull away.

    Probably didn't do him any good with the blond he was trying to impress.

    The kicker? I was driving a Robin Reliant - 3 wheels and a top speed of about 60.

    1. Chris G

      Re: Fast cars?

      The old E type was never much cop on the bendy bits but quite impressive on the straights or a motorway. The most impressive thing about them though when my brother used to turn up in his V12

      was just how gooey it used to make all the girls! No need to impress them with driving it, ownership was all that was necessary.

      As for this modern Indian made,riveted and glued ally F type..... I want one !

      1. Martin

        Re: Fast cars?

        Actually, the real problem about the E-Type was the length of the bonnet. I had a Series 1 roadster a few - quite a few! - years ago, and coming up to a T-junction at a country lane with high hedges was a bit exciting. I was sometimes tempted to stop, walk to the front of the car to look right and left and then scamper back again...

        But driving up the motorway, and watching the reflection of the bridges run up the bonnet towards you - just gorgeous.

        The F-type as reviewed? Meh. I've never seen the point of a hard-top sports car.

        1. Misky
          Thumb Up

          Re: Fast cars?

          I know the feeling, my daily runner is a Marcos Mantis, you basically sit just next to the back wheels and the rest is several meters of bonnet. It's a magnificently impractical car (even though the boot is huge and great for shopping).

          With the F-type it’s nice to see Jag have finally got something that can match the V8 Vantage in looks and style after so many failed attempts.

  14. ecofeco Silver badge

    Just saw one the other day

    Just saw a convertible the other day. This is a gorgeous car.

  15. RonWheeler

    Cars on a computer site?

    Oh yes, I'm a target demographic.

    1. Russell Hancock

      Re: Cars on a computer site?

      Glad to hear...

      I, on the other hand, like cars and like reviews of cars so me happier...

      Or, for the IT angle, this car probably has more computers in it than your house... Keyless entry, dynamic engine modes, auto gear box, etc...

    2. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Cars on a computer site?

      "Oh yes, I'm a target demographic."

      Must be one of those contractors. The always have a nice car.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Looks a lovely car, but...

    ...why a V6. I have yet to experience a V6 that is not thrashy and rough at highish revs. V6s just seem not to sing at high revs.They should have put a straight 6 or a V8.

    1. Down not across

      Re: Looks a lovely car, but...

      Well,even though count and angle of cylinders do have some inherent characteristics, a lot is down the the actual engine design.

      Having said that it only appears to have half of an engine.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Looks a lovely car, but...

      AFAIK most V6s are cheapo jobs designed for the US market where 4 cylinders is considered trailer trash, so knock up a V6 as cheaply and nastily as possible. The straight 6 on the other hand presents its own problems, there's just too much crankshaft twisting away in there and the engine is very long.

      Between a V6 and a V8 there should be little difference provided the design and build is equally good. The Wikipedia article discusses the tradeoffs at length, and reading between the lines it's clear how the US market often uses cut down V8s with all that implies to make its V6s, whereas the European makers go with dedicated designs.

  17. Tom 7

    Nearly had an XK8 convertible once

    bloke used to leave it with the engine running and the top down outside the bakers.

    At 6'5 I was never confident enough that I could get the seat back and away before he got his loaf.

    Was very tempting tho!

    Might sell the kids for one of these - if they do a drop top!

  18. Peter Clarke 1

    Paint Contract

    I want to be in with the supplier for British Racing Green paint. At £700 extra it must be good stuff

    1. Kubla Cant

      Re: Paint Contract

      It's the same story with the XF Sportbreak, and presumably its saloon siblings. British Racing Green paint costs extra. Why? Despite the name, it's just green paint. It doesn't actually make your car go faster.

  19. 101
    WTF?

    Almost Splendid but,

    The paint and wheels are all wrong.

    Needs deep shimmering British green with the dual white stripes and really, really shiny extra light weight wheels.

    And the FOG LIGHTS!!! The BIG ones. Where the hell are they?

    If we're going to do this, let's do it right.

  20. Loud Speaker

    25 MPG is not bad for a 3 litre. My wife manages about the same in her 1.6 litre automatic Ford (Con)Fusion

    1. Alan Brown Silver badge

      25mpg in this thing means it was mostly being driven _very_ cautiously.

  21. William Boyle

    Ah, Jags!

    My cousin, an SCCA national champion race driver, taught me competition driving in his XKE back in the 1960's. His only complaint was the fragility of the rear wheel needle bearings! Some teens of years later, I was a master mechanic with my own garage, and I would service and repair exotic vehicles such as Jag XJ12Ls, 300SL Mercedes, Morgans, and such. I even got to work on a Citroen SM (Maserati running gear in a Citroen), which an instance of such my cousin seems to have acquired in the future! He arrived at my fathers wake in a 250LM Ferrari...

  22. anatak

    nice but

    I drove it around for a bit. roadster S version.

    There was an extra option for extra noise (exhaust bypass or something like that) and it was just embarrassing to drive this thing because of the noise.

    My first impression was, wow this thing is big, fat and heavy. It is without a doubt a wonderful engine with a massive amount of power but I felt like sitting in an American muscle car. Not the refined elegance I had hoped for.

    I have also driven around a bit in an E type a few years back and that might have been the reason I was disappointed. My expectations were that this car was going to be a E type successor. After I reconsidered this car it was very nice to drive but there is nothing inside the driver / passenger compartment to put a file, laptop, cellphone, ... The trunk is also tiny so it might be good as a second car but it is not something I could live with on a daily basis, unlike the cayman / boxter.

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: nice but

      There are no less than three closable storage compartments between the seats, and a door pocket.

  23. jason 7

    Erm...

    ...whats that awful protrusion from the dash on the passenger side?

    A leather wrapped girder? Nasty.

  24. Lapun Mankimasta

    Dunno how it happened but I read the second title line as "Evoking the spirit of Malcom X" and wondered how a sixties Black American radical civil rights campaigner inspired Jaguar ... alas, it is not so!!!

    Nice car, but I'm still deeply in love with the Jaguar E-Type ...

  25. Sir Lancelot

    A trend? Tesla vs Panamera revisited

    "There are two very good reasons to buy an F-Type, the first is how it evokes the spirit of Malcom Sayer’s original, and the second is that it’s not the Porsche Boxster."

    Pretty cheap shot. I'll have the Cayman, preferably the new GT4. Would love to see a shoot-out between the Jagwire and the Cayman on the Nordschleife.

  26. welshie1701

    Can't believe nobody has congratulated you on the treaty of Algeron comment - made me laugh!

  27. jzlondon

    Petrol engine?

    Since Tesla launched the Model S, I struggle to get excited about anything with a petrol or diesel engine. It just seems so ... old fashioned.

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