Jaguar F-Type R 75th

Living with the F-Type

Review by Jacob Lerklint

With Jaguar set to go all electric in 2025, it spells the end of the road for one of its most loved models – the F-Type. Fortunately, there's one last hurrah for the icon

You hear it first. When you see it, you involuntarily exhale. After 10 years in production, the Jaguar F-Type remains one of the best looking, and sounding, cars out there. But in a year, it’ll be gone. As Jaguar readies itself for an all-electric future, it's giving its halo sports car one final send off in the form of the 75 Edition. 

The Jaguar F-Type 75 Edition doesn’t come with any mechanical upgrades, but it does get exclusive paint, badging, and some slick black 20-inch alloys. It’s a celebration of Jaguar’s sports car history, and it still looks incredible. Since its launch in 2013, the F-Type has consistently won out on the looks front.

For a decade it’s had that presence, and the final edition cars don’t skimp on it. The R 75 comes with 575hp, a top speed on the fun side of 180mph, and a soundtrack to die for. Oh, and looks to kill, but we knew that already. 

There’s a lot of history behind the F-Type. The car that kicked off Jaguar’s sporting heritage, the XK120, was the fastest car in the world at launch. The C-Type not only won races for Jaguar, but was also a test bed for the disc brake (something that’s probably saved your bacon more than once). The D-Type Le Mans winning racer was its quicker followup, and, well, the E-Type is THE E-Type. If you don’t have even the slightest yearning for the E when you see one roll by, there might be something up with the bit of your brain that recognises ‘pretty.’ 

The 75 Edition F-Type R in green paint is an imposing thing, you’ll certainly get noticed in town. It comes with the mod cons you’d expect, more power than most people will know what to do with, and the ability to turn heads pretty much anywhere in the world. Its gearbox, and eight-speed automatic, can be a little jerky at speed, which will either make your inner track day hero happy, or irritate you beyond belief. There’s likely no in-between. 575 horses firing through all four wheels is more than adequate. You’ll find yourself at licence losing speeds in no time at all, so it’s best to be a little cautious unless you live in Germany. It’ll cruise wonderfully on the motorway, and glide through town - though its big wheels can make rough roads a little uncomfortable. Its steering is decent, though not quite as sweet as a Porsche 911, but for the F-Type it’s forever been thus. It brakes well on its standard discs, but if you’re committed to driving hard you can spec carbon ceramics.

As a place to be it remains utterly wonderful. The cabin is coated in leather, the touch points all feel… right, and its digital instrument binnacle shows everything you could possibly want without being overwhelming. It was a huge move for Jaguar back in the day, and while its star may have faded a touch it’s still a brute, and a more exciting alternative to the norm. The norm is, of course, Porsche’s 911. Stuggart’s car has been honed for decades, all the flaws ironed out, its shape refined, drive tweaked to within an inch of its life. It’s a largely flawless car, which means it’s very accomplished but… a bit predictable. The F-Type is far from flawless. It’s a huge car, yet there’s not much space inside, there’s naff all luggage space, it’s not as sharp as other sports, and its V8 motor is powerful but hugely thirsty. But that’s what makes it… it. It’ll put a smile on your face when you see one in traffic, just like the E-Type. People will crane their necks when they see one. Considering the Porsche 911 is pretty much everywhere these days, its comparative rarity will make it a stand out for years to come. 

With the 75 Edition cars, the F-Type’s last gasp will look, and sound good. But it’s a sad thing, really. With that car 75 years of history and heritage comes to an end. Jaguar’s electric reinvention in 2024 can’t come soon enough, but it’s currently sat on the tip of the brand’s tongue, yet to make itself known.