The C-X16 concept had our eye balls popping at the Auto Expo. Automotive art doesn’t get any more seductive. Jaguar has unveiled the F-TYPE at the Paris Motor Show, a production two seater convertible whose lines are inspired by the C-X16 heavily.
Jaguar has announced three variants of the F-TYPE powered by Jag’s new 3.0 litre S/C V6 making 340 PS, the F-TYPE S powered by the same engine but making 380PS and the F-TYPE V8 S powered by the 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol producing 495PS!
The F-TYPE V8 S will hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 186mph. The 380PS V6 F-TYPE S does the same in 4.8 seconds and gets to 171mph and the F-TYPE, boasts 5.1 seconds and 161mph. An eight-speed ‘Quickshift’ transmission with a centrally mounted SportShift selector offering full manual sequential control or steering wheel-mounted paddles transfers power from the engine to the wheels. The S models have a limited-slip differential – the V6’s mechanical and the V8’s electronic – to maximise traction. The S models also have an ‘Active exhaust’ system where valves open up above 3000 rpm for your ears only. We can already see the affable trio at Top Gear UK picking on the lap timer and G-meter functionality that come with the Configurable Dynamics programme in the S models.
The F-TYPE is constructed around the fourth generation of Jaguar’s acclaimed lightweight aluminium architecture. With torsional and lateral stiffness being the priority, the aluminium architecture has been optimised to provide the stiffest possible underpinnings for the suspension with rigidity gains of more than 30 per cent in key areas. All-aluminium double wishbone front and rear suspension systems with adaptive damping provide precise body control.
