By: IOL Motoring Staff
When Jaguar's F-Type roadster first pounced onto the scene late last year, there was no doubting that a Coupé version would follow to truly encapsulate the sports car's role as a spiritual successor to the legendary E-Type.
Rising gracefully above the car's muscular rear wings, the sweeping roofline of the new F-Type gives an unmistakable salute to the tin-top E-Type of 1961, which was described by none other than Enzo Ferrari as being the most beautiful car ever made.
Back to 2013, the F-Type Coupé stands out as "the most dynamically capable, performance-focused, production Jaguar ever" as Jaguar puts it. Not only does it enjoy the obvious rigidity benefit brought by a fixed roof, but the Coupé also ushers in a new 'R' badged performance flagship model.
‘R’ IS FOR RACE
The F-Type R Coupé will tear up the streets with the most potent version of Jaguar's 5-litre supercharged V8. In this form, it unleashes 404.5kW at 6500rpm and 680Nm from 2500rpm - 40kW and 55Nm more than the roadster's 'S' flagship model.
This enables the tin-top to charge from 0-100km/h in four seconds on the dot and effortlessly reach its electronically limited top speed of 300km/h.
Because speed isn't everything, Jaguar's redesigned Electronic Active Differential is in place, working with the 'Torque Vectoring by Braking' system to ensure that the Coupé is as agile as a hungry feline in pursuit.
Its cornering talent is boosted by sport-tuned suspension complete with Adaptive Dynamics damping and Configurable Dynamic Mode, while the ultimate in stopping power can be ensured by specifying the Carbon Ceramic Matrix braking system option.
THE TAMER CATS
If the R Coupé is too extreme for you, Jaguar is also offering two V6 versions, both powered by Jaguar's 3-litre supercharged motor. The most basic of them offers 250kW and 450Nm, while the 'S' model is good for 280kW and 460Nm - still enough to ensure respective 0-100 sprint times of 5.3 and 4.9 seconds.
All three Coupé derivatives send their urge to the back wheels via Jaguar's close-ratio, eight-speed Quickshift gearbox, which offers full manual control through steering-mounted flappy paddles.
Now all that's left is to get behind the wheel and see whether the striking new two-door lives up to Jaguar's description of a car that's "engaging, precise, intuitive and alive."
South Africans will have to wait no longer than mid-2014 to tame one of these felines.