Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Jaguar F-Pace a fine feline
CHICHESTER, England — For classic car fans, vintage race events are a rare treat: the chance to see old sports or race cars traveling on a track.
There are many in the U.S., including my favorite, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, held in July. But they pale in comparison with the Goodwood Revival, a celebration of sports and race cars from 1948 through 1966 held in September at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in Chichester, West Sussex, England.
Where Goodwood differs is its immersive time-traveling atmosphere. The track looks much like it did when it opened in 1948. So do the people, who dress in period-correct attire. Men wear ascots, flat caps and odd jackets. Women bob their hair in a fashion that would do the Andrews sisters proud. Movies, music, activities: it’s all like a step back in time, perfectly accompanying the races themselves, which are blasts from the past.
Having decided to attend this year, I sought an automobile befitting the occasion: the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, the highperformance variant of Jaguar’s most popular vehicle, modified by the company’s Special Vehicle Operations.
At first glance, driving something so modern to a vintage event may seem like heresy. A 1962 Jaguar E-Type seems more appropriate. But aside from my friend Jed, who lives in the states, I knew of no one who had an E-Type to lend. But Jaguar would lend me an F-Pace SVR.
So, I arrived in London and got to my hotel only to discover that they had decided to provide a left hand drive F-Pace SVR, figuring I would be more comfortable driving it. Except I was driving on the left hand side of the road. It took a few minutes to adjust as I left the resplendent Rosewood Hotel in London.
That said, nothing prepares you for English country roads that take you there. Built at a time when King Henry the Eighth was going through wives, they are barely wide enough to fit two Austin Maestros side-by-side, let alone modern SUVs. And because my driver’s seat is on the left side of the car, every bend in the road is a blind one.
Even if my confidence was unnerved by the thoroughfares, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR compensated nicely.
This compact luxury SUV packs the punch that makes the most of England’s twisting, turning, trying lanes. And Jaguar has carried out incremental tweaks to the steering, brakes, transmission and other components to improve the F-Pace SVR’s already incredible performance.
This makes the SVR’s ride compliance welcome, particularly since it doesn’t come at the expense of its impressive athleticism. It adroitly soaks up the rough stuff and resists body roll in corners, all the while maintaining passenger ride comfort. It’s so Jaguar.
The 2022 Jaguar F-Pace SVR proves to be one fast, fine feline. Just like the finest Jaguars ever built, the F-Pace SVR combines a cabin worthy of royalty, blistering speed and agility, and enough cargo space for a week in the country.
Or as Jaguar once advertised, “grace, pace and space.”