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“Shall we shag now or shall we shag later?”
Rarely has Jaguar thrived as beautifully as it is under the stewardship of Indian conglomerate Tata—and the more-immediate leadership of a group of executives with an education from the best automakers in Germany. A stunning example of this is the new F-type coupe, which reminds us of a question posed by one of the Jag’s famous compatriots: “Shall we shag now or shall we shag later?” Pardon us while we pick our collective jaws up off the floor.
While the F-type roadster is a natural choice for Jaguar customers, many of those who consider themselves “serious drivers” will have held out for the coupe. Regardless of how sophisticated fabric tops have become, they are no match for the rigidity of a fully enclosed aluminum structure. The F-type roadster can hold its own on a racetrack, but it wouldn’t be our first choice—especially if presented with the option of a closed-roof variant.
The F-type coupe features a gently sloping, delicate roofline that we find sufficiently distinguished from the roadster’s notchback appearance—and far more seductive, too. This sultry silhouette dates back to the C-X16 concept that Jaguar debuted two years ago in Frankfurt, and the brand says that the production version brings the show car’s “uncompromised design vision” to market. And that’s very nearly accurate, except for one minute detail that was compromised. The C-X16 featured a side-hinged rear window, a cue taken from the iconic E-type; the F-type coupe, however, features a traditional liftback rear opening. Chief designer Ian Callum told us that he wanted to keep the retro-inspired design, but the company was fearful of customers dragging luggage over the car’s sumptuous shoulders.
Jaguar hasn’t yet revealed powertrain details for the F-type coupe, but you can count on offerings that mimic those available in the roadster. There will be a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 available in strengths of 340 and 380 horsepower, as well as a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 producing 495 horsepower. Both powerplants offer unique and intoxicating symphonies, and both will back up to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission—sources within Jag have told us that a stick will be available some time after launch.
The 2014 Jaguar F-type coupe will go on sale next spring, with pricing information becoming available closer to that time. Final details will be revealed when the F-type coupe makes its in-the-metal debut at the L.A. auto show later this month.
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