PHOTO BY JAGUAR
FUN, BEAUTIFUL AND WELL SUITED FOR EVERY SEASON, OUR JAG BRINGS SMILES DURING ITS SECOND QUARTER
Our long-term Jaguar F-Type R coupe is special. We’ve never known a modern car to be as broadly appealing as this one. It’s beautiful and everyone knows it—people aren’t shy with praise for it. We took it up to Rare Bird Brew Pub in Traverse City, Mich., for a party and spent much of the night starting that barking, burbling supercharged V8, letting people sit in the leather seats and watching them snap photos.
PHOTO BY JAGUAR
Where lots of sports cars, especially high-performance versions, can be overstyled, the F-Type R is beautifully restrained. That may be part of why it appeals to such a wide range of people. It’s pretty but not showy. Of the sports/performance cars that are said to be styled in homage to their forebears, the F-Type is the most successful. It doesn’t insult the E-Type by aping it entirely or mock it by having come to dwarf it over the years. This car calls the E-Type to mind. Ian Callum and his team noticed the small, wonderful details of the that car and, with the F-Type, named them.
PHOTO BY JAGUAR
Our long-termer was given a set of Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero tires, and in the snow with these tires, the Jaguar is a wonder. Five hours on the icy freeway or slogging through unplowed surface streets in deep snow, the Jag was always able, always predictable. One morning, we found the car buried to the top of its decklid in snow. We just slid into the lovely driver’s seat, cleared the windshield and drove out. We wish people who are clamoring for the forthcoming all-wheel-drive F-Type could have seen it. This rear-wheel Jag would not be stopped.
PHOTO BY JAGUAR
We as a staff have turned the “F-Type versus Porsche 911” question over in our heads a few times, and some would take the Jag over the German without hesitation. The 911 is the better track car, but ultimately on the road some find the Jag to be more fun.
PHOTO BY JAGUAR
With two quarters now done, we’re definitely going to miss this one when it’s gone. It’s a very special car, and if Jaguar’s plans hold, one that we won’t see again. Next year, all of the V8-powered F-Types will all come equipped with AWD, making this car possibly the last of its kind and a bit of an instant classic. Thankfully, we have six more months with it before we have to give up the keys.
PHOTO BY JAGUAR
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