MOTOR MAGAZINE: JAGUAR DROPS THE F-WORD

Inspired by the C-X16 concept car it unveiled at last year’s Frankfurt motor show, Jaguar has confirmed an all-new production sports car called the F-Type will enter production before the end of the year, and be on sale by mid-2013.

Adopting the show car’s all-alloy construction, the F-Type will launch as a two-seater convertible, and offer a range of new petrol engine options. The C-X16 show car was powered by a 280kW/450Nm 3.0-litre supercharged V6, backed up a by a ‘push-to-pass’, KERS-style electric boost system adding an extra 70kW/235Nm boost for up to 10sec.

The F-Type is already in pre-production test mode with prototypes now leaving Jaguar's Castle Bromwich plant, where the car will be built. Speaking at the New York motor show, Jaguar’s design director Ian Callum said, "The C-type, D-type and E-type Jaguars were all pure in purpose and form, and the F-Type will hold true to that principle."