RSS Reader
04-17-2013, 09:13 AM
Filed under: Convertible (http://www.autoblog.com/category/convertibles/), Performance (http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/), Jaguar (http://www.autoblog.com/category/jaguar/), First Drives (http://www.autoblog.com/category/driving/)
Stepping Into The Lion's Den With A Big-Hearted Cat
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/2014-jaguar-f-type-fd.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive/)
If you're like me - and our demographics suggests you are - you've probably never seen a new Jaguar (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/) sportscar at your local showroom. I'm 36, and it hasn't happened in my lifetime... and not by a little bit. Oh, there have been a string of XK (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/xk/) coupes and convertibles, and as of late, there have even been some genuine high-performance specials - namely the R (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/xkr/), R-S (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/07/2012-jaguar-xkr-s-review/) and R-S GT (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/27/2014-jaguar-xkr-s-gt-new-york/) models - but their basis has always been the 2+2 grand tourer shell, not a lighter and smaller footprint with more intrinsic sporting intent. The truth is that it's been a half-century since Jaguar introduced a proper new sportscar. Today, most people know the brand strictly as a purveyor of wood- and hide-lined luxury sedans.
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 (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/f-type/) seen here is in fact a return to form, a Rip Van Winkled brand pillar reanimated and reimagined to take center stage. It's a sentiment that must be particularly odd for car shoppers in developing markets like China, where Jaguar hasn't even been selling cars for very long. Yet because the original 1961 E-Type (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/e-type/) is perhaps the most gorgeous car ever to lay ply on the world's roads, we're prepared to cut them some slack.
Given a desire to project its lengthy and distinguished (if distant) sportscar history into the present, we couldn't really have blamed Jaguar if they decided to just update the E-Type's visuals and pull what's underneath into modernity, à la Ford GT (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ford+gt/). (In fact, there's already a well-respected British outfit, Eagle (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/28/hello-i-love-you-eagle-e-type-speedster/), commanding big dollars for doing largely the same thing). There's also a middle 'homage' path - think 1956 BMW 507 (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/bmw+507/) begets 2000 Z8 roadster (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/bmw+z8/). Yet Jaguar hasn't taken the easy way out and created a doppelganger or even a historical pastiche. Yes, if you look hard enough, you'll find subtle nods to the E-Type, but they aren't immediately obvious. In fact, Jaguar has embarked on nothing short of a radical design overhaul of its entire lineup over the last half-decade or so (beginning with 2008's XF sedan (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/xf/)) in an effort to upend its image as traditional luxury transport for the world's elderly elite.Continue reading 2014 Jaguar F-Type (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/)
2014 Jaguar F-Type (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20542485/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/)
Stepping Into The Lion's Den With A Big-Hearted Cat
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/2014-jaguar-f-type-fd.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive/)
If you're like me - and our demographics suggests you are - you've probably never seen a new Jaguar (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/) sportscar at your local showroom. I'm 36, and it hasn't happened in my lifetime... and not by a little bit. Oh, there have been a string of XK (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/xk/) coupes and convertibles, and as of late, there have even been some genuine high-performance specials - namely the R (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/xkr/), R-S (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/07/2012-jaguar-xkr-s-review/) and R-S GT (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/27/2014-jaguar-xkr-s-gt-new-york/) models - but their basis has always been the 2+2 grand tourer shell, not a lighter and smaller footprint with more intrinsic sporting intent. The truth is that it's been a half-century since Jaguar introduced a proper new sportscar. Today, most people know the brand strictly as a purveyor of wood- and hide-lined luxury sedans.
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 (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/f-type/) seen here is in fact a return to form, a Rip Van Winkled brand pillar reanimated and reimagined to take center stage. It's a sentiment that must be particularly odd for car shoppers in developing markets like China, where Jaguar hasn't even been selling cars for very long. Yet because the original 1961 E-Type (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/e-type/) is perhaps the most gorgeous car ever to lay ply on the world's roads, we're prepared to cut them some slack.
Given a desire to project its lengthy and distinguished (if distant) sportscar history into the present, we couldn't really have blamed Jaguar if they decided to just update the E-Type's visuals and pull what's underneath into modernity, à la Ford GT (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ford+gt/). (In fact, there's already a well-respected British outfit, Eagle (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/28/hello-i-love-you-eagle-e-type-speedster/), commanding big dollars for doing largely the same thing). There's also a middle 'homage' path - think 1956 BMW 507 (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/bmw+507/) begets 2000 Z8 roadster (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/bmw+z8/). Yet Jaguar hasn't taken the easy way out and created a doppelganger or even a historical pastiche. Yes, if you look hard enough, you'll find subtle nods to the E-Type, but they aren't immediately obvious. In fact, Jaguar has embarked on nothing short of a radical design overhaul of its entire lineup over the last half-decade or so (beginning with 2008's XF sedan (http://www.autoblog.com/jaguar/xf/)) in an effort to upend its image as traditional luxury transport for the world's elderly elite.Continue reading 2014 Jaguar F-Type (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/)
2014 Jaguar F-Type (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20542485/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/2014-jaguar-f-type-first-drive-review/)