After a series of leaks on internet, Jaguar has finally unveiled the new F-Type sports car on the eve of the 2012 Paris Motor Show, at an exclusive event held at the Musee Rodin Museumin. The new two-seater sports car is the spiritual successor to the legendary E-Type – and the first Leaping Cat in this segment, in 50 years.
The F-Type design is very similar to that of the C-X16 concept with roof chopped-off. The baby Jag looks exquisite – the front end with bulging vented clamshell hood and bi-xenon headlamps with LEDs and clean line at the tail with horizontal tail lamps add to the beauty of the car. Tata has let the luxury brand have its way with the development of this car and is expected to further add to their recent success.
This new car will be available in three trims – F-type, F-Type S and F-Type V8 S; offering three powertrains, a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 (340bhp/450Nm), supercharged 3.0-litre V6 (380bhp/460Nm) and supercharged 5.0-litre V8 (495bhp/625Nm). All three versions will be mated to ZF’s eight-speed automatic with paddles and a traditional gear stick instead of Jag’s rotary selector. 0 to 100kph comes in 5.1 seconds for the F-TYPE, 4.8 for the S model and 4.2 for the V8 S. The V8 S has a top track speed restricted at 300kph.
The front engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car has perfect 50:50 weight distribution. The officials confirm that the soft-top convertible is actually stiffer and rigid than the bigger XKR-S convertible, and with lighter all aluminum architecture weighs just 1,597kgs.
The cabin design of the F-Type is based on their new “1+1 philosophy” – driver oriented cabin with an asymmetric center stack featuring a prominent grab handle. The sales of the new Jaguar F-Type are expected to begin in Europe by April 2013. As for India, we are sure Tata will offer this sports car here after the global launch - as CBU imports.
