“For 75 years Jaguar has been renowned for producing extraordinary sports cars that deliver performance, agility, and maximum driver reward.The F-TYPE special editions hold true to these principles, adding unique interior and exterior design details to celebrate this lineage before Jaguar becomes an all-electric brand from 2025.” And with that statement by Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Designer of Exteriors, Matthew Beaven, the British heritage automaker bids adieu to its storied combustion engine powered history and begins on its way into an electrified future.
Of course it’s no surprise Jaguar would describe their F-TYPE as “iconic” and the “definitive sports car from a rich bloodline spanning 75 years.” And they’re not wrong. It’s a model steeped in automotive history in a way only a very select few automobiles could ever dare claim, the progeny of the teardrop-in-motion, Jaguar XK120.
Whether in Coupé or Convertible form, our own experiences behind the wheel of an F-TYPE over the years has been nothing but exhilarating; the F-TYPE injects a certain confidence to drive the car just a little faster and to dare all sweeping turns with a giddy zeal completely ignorant of the brake pedal thanks to its engineered tactile and aural feedback. It is the epitome of the sports cars experience in performance and design, but always gentlemanly so.
The F-TYPE’s interior remains a handsomely appointed ‘1+1’ cockpit complemented with a 12.3-inch reconfigurable Interactive Driver Display and Sports or Performance lightweight slimline seats.
It never hurts the two-seat F-TYPE is a muscularly attractive expression of sculpted aluminum engineering, sedately sinewy and seductive. Whether seen coming or going, the F-TYPE turns heads accompanied often with an approving “oooh” rather than a gimmicky “wow.” From the front the design exudes a subdued Cheshire cat grin, as if barely holding back a devilish joke of its own. It’s the sum of all its parts that results in a satisfyingly proportionate silhouette that we’ve always loved. Note the widened front, its set of slim LED headlights with ‘Calligraphy’ J signature daytime running lights begins that the F-TYPE’s heavenly haunches conclude.
Behind the wheel drivers get a view of a digitally displayed tachometer and speedometer, representing the efforts communicated by way of an eight-speed Quickshift transmission with full manual control using either the SportShift gear selector or the steering wheel-mounted paddles.
And now we will have to say goodbye. The 2024 Model Year Jaguar F-TYPE manufactured at Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich plant in the UK will be its final Jaguar sports car with an internal combustion engine (ICE). And they’re going out with one last hurrah, announcing the end of an era with a petrol-reeking rebel yell rather than a fumed last gasp, releasing the 75 Edition model outfitted with a supercharged 444-hp V8 and an even more audacious 567-hp V8 R 75 P575 model alongside preexisting normal model options.
These farewell cars are embellished a bit to stand out from their standard brethren with unique 5-spoke (75 P450) and 10-spoke wheels (R 75 P575), some silhouette badging and “75” emblems, alongside etched detailing found across the four throaty exhausts of the 575-hp 75 edition. While you can still get into a non-special edition F-TYPE starting from $79,175, expect to part with $91,175 for the swan song 75 P450 edition and $114,275 for the R 75 P575.
While we’re saddened realizing this is the last time we’ll see (and hear) the F-TYPE that we got to know over the years while snaking across the mountainous backroads of Portugal or sliding across the frozen lakes of Sweden, we’re excited to see how the British brand reimagines itself as a purely electric vehicle brand. Something tells us they’ll find their route their own way in characteristic Jaguar fashion… just a bit more silently than before.
