Jaguar stuns auto world with 2014 F-Type convertible

Jaguar 2014 F-Type convertible
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Fifty-two years after the introduction of arguably the first most beautiful car in the world by Jaguar, the British luxury auto maker is re-writing history with 2014 F-Type convertible.

Many new car enthusiasts can recall the excitement that reverberated worldwide when Jaguar pulled the covers off its E-Type coupe at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961.

The Los Angeles Times, in a recent report, said the auto manufacturer was celebrated for a long period for redefining beauty in automobiles.

It also recalled that the sensual 1961 E-Type, known as the XKE, offered a simple elegance.

It stated, “The coupe’s designer was chasing aerodynamics, but in the Jag’s sleek profile he created art. Quite literally: The Museum of Modern Art in New York has had an E-Type in its permanent collection since 1996.

Enzo Ferrari is said to have wept upon viewing the E-Type, calling it the most beautiful car ever made. The Italian sports cars bearing his name would soon incorporate the Jag’s design elements.

The two-seater fetches $70,000 to $100,000, and a coupe variant is all but confirmed for 2014.

Both versions would occupy a market niche that overlaps with the Porsche Boxster S and the 911, the report stated.

The car was designed by Ian Callum, whose pen has also given Jaguar’s mid-size XF and full-size XJ sedans, along with the Aston Martin DB7 and DB9. Although Callum started working on the F-Type before Jaguar had decided what to call it, the auto maker is billing the F-Type as the spiritual successor to the E-Type.

Forcing the F-Type to follow such a legendary act presents a big risk.

It also noted that the new F-Type might not find itself in art museums decades from now, but Jaguar had clearly scored with a gorgeous machine capable of shouldering the brand’s heritage of performance and sex appeal.

It stated, “The flip side of Jaguar’s heritage involves large pools of oil in driveways and even larger repair bills, with the predictable effect on resale values for most models. (The E-Type remains the exception, a prized and expensive collector car.)

“Although Jaguar is midway through a dramatic aesthetic makeover, reliability ratings and sales figures have yet to catch up.”

Autoblog’s Executive Editor, Mr. Chris Paukert, was one of those stunned by the beauty and neatly packaged vehicle when he first saw it.

Paukert, writing on the 2014 F-Type, stated, “In fact, if you’re not an enthusiast with some appreciation for the marque’s history, it’s a bit odd to hear Jaguar executives proclaim that they are a sportscar company and always have been. By their reckoning, the 2014 F-Type seen here is in fact a return to form, a Rip Van Winkled brand pillar reanimated and re-imagined to take centre stage.

Engine/performance

The base offering is a direct-injected 3.0-litre supercharged V-6 that makes 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, Los Angeles Times reports.

It says the model starts at $69,895 and Jaguar says it will do zero to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds.

Then there is the F-Type S, which Jaguar expects to be its volume seller of the trio. This model starts at $81,895 and comes with a more powerful version of the same engine, with 380 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. Acceleration to 60 mph drops to 4.8 seconds.

At the top of the heap is the F-Type V8 S. For $92,895, buyers get an all-aluminum 5.0-litre V-8 that makes 495 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque.

Interior

Paukert provides adequate information about the inside of the vehicle.

For instance, looking at the seats, he says even the standard chairs offer real support, with fixed headrests that snug up to the back of one’s belfry. Both the headrests and the deep seating position (20mm lower than the XKR-S) telegraph the car’s sporting intent – no lazy postures here. Performance seats are also available on all models, featuring more aggressive bolstering (particularly around the shoulders) and slots for five-point harnesses, and all are electrically adjustable.

The F-Type carries on that tradition with active centre air vents that emerge from atop the center stack when the climate control system’s brain deems it necessary, disappearing when parked or when the system does not need them to maintain the correct temperature.

He is also excited by the mechanical quality of the toggle switches below the climate controls and the JaguarDrive Control switch that governs Dynamic and Winter modes.

Exterior

The F-Type’s face is dominated by a pair of vertically oriented bi-xenon headlamps, (Easter Egg) says Paukert.

Their chromed innards are said to be influenced by the Star Wars Tie Fighter – the result is far less hokey than it sounds) along with a large, rectangular grille opening with softened corners bookended by a set of aggressive air intakes.

Callum says the design team originally penned the car with an oval grille like that of the original E-Type, “but it looked old,” so they started over.

According to him, There’s no confusing the F-Type’s profile for anything other than a modern car, despite its classic long-hood, short rear deck proportions.

He says the clamshell hood’s lower shutline is made clear by a blade-shaped air inlet with a subtle crease that extends into the doors.”

The vehicle’s side mirrors that stand proud of the steeply raked windshield are small and graceful, propped up on stanchions with integrated turn signal repeaters.

Experts also say the doors have a lot of surface interest, with their deeply barreled form and a rising character line that sets the stage for the swollen rear fenders.

Its hidden door handles even spring to life when you push a recessed button.