The Paris Motor Show may be French but it’s the British who’ve taken it by storm with the exotic McLaren P1 Concept and stunning drop-top 2014 Jaguar F-Type. It’s the latter we’re interested in here. The new Jaguar F-Type is gunning straight for the Porsche 911 with an ultra-lightweight aluminum chassis, a near 50:50 weight balance, an assortment of supercharged V-6 and V-8 engines, and styling that pays homage to the legendary Jaguar E-Type without going retro.
Up front the 2014 Jaguar F-Type pays homage to the old E-Type (shown at right) with a similarly shaped grille, and to its XK big brother with similar hood lines, but otherwise the 2014 F-Type is its own thing. The F-Type has sleek headlights with the requisite LED light pipes, an aggressive front lip, and distinctive air intakes flanking the grille that give the F-Type an almost menacing look.
Along the sides the F-Type again shares very little with other Jags, past or present. Like the XK, the F-Type has a decorative air intake on the front quarter panel, while like the E-Type the F-Type has pronounced and rounded flares over the rear wheels, giving the F-Type cat-like haunches. As Jaguar’s global brand director Adrian Hallmark told us in our First Look, “We’re not worshiping the ashes of the past; we’re reigniting the sports car flame.”
The F-Type’s rear end is clearly influenced by the legendary E-Type. It has thin yet modern taillights, a flat rear deck, and a chiseled yet still rounded rear fascia. The new Jaguar also pays tribute to the original by changing the exhaust configuration based on which engine is found under the hood; opt for the V-6 and you get a twin center-exit exhaust that pays tribute to the E-Type. Go for the V-8 though, and you get more conventionally placed quad exhaust pipes, similar to those found on the current XKR-S.
Inside, the 2014 Jaguar F-Type has to any predecessors is the fact that it’s got seats and a steering wheel. The new Jag roadster gets supportive-looking sport seats, an abundance of leather, and an asymmetrical center stack complete with a flying buttress grab-handle on the passenger side. The F-Type also has door handles that features the Jaguar name embossed in brushed aluminum.
What do you think of the new 2014 Jaguar F-Type’s design? Is it refreshing or revolting? Sound off in the comments below.
Last week’s Refreshing or Revolting featured the 2013 Honda Accord coupe. Holee-Driver said of the Accord Coupe, “It’s definitely refreshing. Could Honda have done more to update the looks? Sure! Do they need to? Not necessarily.” 340AAR was less impressed, “It might be better but it’s about as refreshing as a lukewarm cup of joe.”
The 2014 Jaguar F-Type is shown at left, the 2012 Jaguar XKR-S is shown in the center, and the Jaguar E-Type is shown at right.
I think it’s beautiful, though not perfect. The headlights could have been less obvious and I can’t WAIT until the center exhaust fad is over. The auto wing on the back looks like an after thought (functional or not) that I’ve seen on other sites. But overall, a definate looker. I’m not sure how well it will compete with the 911 though….still looks d*mn good!
Source : wot[dot]motortrend[dot]com
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