Inspired by the past
YOU MIGHT NOT have heard, but it’s the Jaguar E-type’s 60th anniversary this year… Jaguar itself has made the most of the occasion with six matched pairs of restored and ‘improved’ 60th anniversary E-types from Classic Works – inspired by the ‘9600 HP’ and ‘77 RW’ launch cars. They’re all sold, of course, and now the anniversary-themed Jaguar F-Type Heritage 60 Edition is getting in on the act.
In total, 60 of these handfinished F-types will be put together by Special Vehicle Operations at Jaguar Classic in Coventry, all based on the 567bhp, V8-powered R model. This Roadster wears its Sherwood Green paint – not offered officially on any Jaguar since the 1960s – rather well. The Caraway and Ebony leather interior is unique to the Heritage 60, and it feels strangely welcoming.
It’s been a while since I’ve driven an F-type, and this is the first time I’ve been in a facelifted V8. The early cars always felt like they were trying to prove something to the world, but the latest feels a lot more comfortable in its own skin. The V8 is less shouty, and comes across as far more mellow than in previous iterations. It’s grown up a bit, and this newfound maturity suits the Heritage 60 Edition.
Get out onto the open road, though, and its character can soon change. While it’s very enjoyable at a gentle cruise, start to make more use of the supercharged grunt and you’ll begin to appreciate the excellent chassis and reassuring four-wheel-drive system. Select the right modes, and its demeanour becomes as silly as you would expect of a car that manages 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and a (limited) 186mph top speed. The figures offer insight into what it can do, but with the roof down it’s definitely more enjoyable (and more grown-up) to leave it in Comfort mode.
This is never going to take the place of an E-type in your garage, but it’ll certainly sit alongside one very happily. At £127,500, this special edition will set you back £25,000 more than the standard F-Type R Roadster. That’s the price of exclusivity and craftsmanship. It’s lovely, though, and undoubtedly one to buy, enjoy and keep for a very long time. Especially as we’re running out of opportunities to purchase anything with such a fantastic V8 powerplant.