Great Britain, great cars. The UK motor industry is respected the world over, and though many of the vehicles are actually owned by foreign manufacturers, there can be no doubting of the fantastic heritage of the British motor.
To celebrate Britain’s famous history CarSupermarket.com is launching a series looking back on some of the most famous vehicles the UK has ever seen.
Jaguar F-Type
When Jaguar called time on the E-Type, there would have been a keen expectation that the British manufacturer was about to tease an all new F-Type into the public’s imagination. That’s the way of the motoring world, F follows E, like the back wheels follow the front, it’s just the way things are.
The E-Type finished production in 1975 and inexplicably Jaguar followed it up with a vehicle called the XJ-S. Perhaps it was because the company didn’t feel they had a worthy successor to the E-Type, or maybe somebody in marketing felt that Jaguar should go in a different direction for their naming conventions. Whatever the reality, fans of tradition had to wait almost 40 years for the F-Type to finally arrive.
What makes things worse for those keen advocates of alphabet naming conventions is that Jaguar had come close to bring an F-Type to fruition in 1982 when they produced a concept model. We also saw concept models in 1986 and 2000, but it wasn’t until the concept of 2011, the C-X16, that the dream finally came a reality.
When the F-Type finally arrived it was certainly worth the wait, the two-door sports gave some very obvious nods to the E-Type, but had all the design and luxury smarts that you would expect to see in a millennial classic sports car.
Jaguar’s very own marketing brief suggests a link to the E-Type heritage...
‘Experience the latest in a distinguished bloodline. The F‑TYPE range offers sports cars that only Jaguar could create - effortless performance and precise agile handling, with everyday refinement and usability.’
At CarSupermarket.com, we’re not sure about bloodline, but the Jaguar F-Type certainly gets the pulse racing.
Years of manufacture: 2013-present
Price when new: £51,235
Price now: £51,455
Engine: 2,995cc 6cyl petrol, 337bhp
Top speed: 161mph