Jaguar is marking 75 years of making sports cars by launching the last petrol-powered two-seaters it will make. The F-Type 75 will be sold in coupe and convertible forms, with a choice of 450hp or 575hp supercharged V8 petrol engines, the last such cars Jaguar will make before it embarks on an all-electric future.
It all started in 1948
Jaguar's sports car lineage technically starts with the pre-war Swallow Sidecars SS100 Jaguar model, but in terms of building two-seaters under its own name as Jaguar, the story starts in 1948. That year, Jaguar showed off the XK120 sports car at the London Motor Show, initially as a one-off motor show special to demonstrate the company's new 3.4-litre 'XK' straight-six engine, which was destined for the MkVII saloon car.
Such was the clamour that the XK120 caused that Jaguar had little choice but to put the car into production. Those early cars were aluminium-bodied but later switched to steel and sired a long lineage of Jaguar sports cars. XK120 begat XK140 and XK150 before the E-Type came along in 1961. That was followed by the XJ-S, then the XK8, the later XK, and finally the F-Type.
The 75th-anniversary models, simply badged F-Type 75, will come in a unique dark grey-green colour called Giola Green metallic. LED headlights set off that colour, featuring Pixel technology as standard, with 'Calligraphy' J signature daytime running lights, unique F-Type 75 badging, and gloss black, five-spoke- and gloss black diamond-turned 10-spoke alloy wheel designs for the 20-inch rims.
Inside, there's a 12.3-inch digital driver's display and Windsor leather with the 'extended leather upgrade' option fitted as standard to the anniversary models. You can choose from coupe and convertible body styles, natch.
Up to 575hp
The 450hp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine is offered in the F-Type 75 model with a choice of rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Or, you can have the 'full-fat' 575hp version of that engine in the R model, the F-Type R 75, which only comes in four-wheel drive form. The standard 2.0-litre 300hp four-cylinder turbo model remains on sale but doesn't get the 75th-anniversary treatment. Both V8 engines get a switchable active exhaust system as standard, which thankfully also comes with a 'Quiet Start' function for more discreet early morning getaways.
The 75th-anniversary cars also get lightly tweaked suspension, including new rear suspension knuckles made from light, stiff aluminium die castings, plus new wheel bearings. The R 75 model gets revised upper ball joints. Both V8 cars get an active electronic rear differential. The R can be had with Jaguar's Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) braking system, featuring 398mm and 380mm front and rear discs with six- and four-piston monobloc calipers with a distinctive yellow finish.
Deliveries start in January
The F-Type 75 V8 will accelerate to 100km/h from rest in just 4.4 seconds, but the 575hp R 75 will do the same sprint in 3.5 seconds. Customer deliveries are set to begin in January, but Irish pricing hasn't been announced yet.
Matthew Beaven, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Designer, Exteriors, said, "For 75 years Jaguar has been renowned for producing extraordinary sports cars that deliver performance, agility and maximum driver reward. The F-Type special editions hold true to these principles, adding unique interior and exterior design details to celebrate this lineage before Jaguar becomes an all-electric brand from 2025."