Jaguar F-Type
R75 Convertible
The farewell no Jaguar fan was looking forward to
The well-known sports car of Jaguar, the F-Type is finally, and unfortunately, reaching the end of its production. Production started a decade ago in 2013 and model years were from 2014 and onwards until today.
However we can look back a total 75 years of Jaguar heritage where now the F-Type will take place in being one of the brands most important cars - joining legends such as the XK120 that was first in the line up of sports cars for the manufacturer.
To celebrate the brands 75 years of building Jaguars for enthusiasts, they have decided to finish of the F-Type series with a farewell by creating the F-Type 75 and F-Type R75, the last ever Jaguars built with fully internal combustion engines before the electrified future that is waiting ahead.
This is for sure a final good bye that you would expect to be pretty spectacular as we can most likely say that models from here on probably won’t tick all the boxes a true petrolhead expects.
I’ve got my hands on the R75 Cabriolet to try out. It’s a bitter sweet feeling getting in a car knowing there will be none like these ever made again, it’s like seeing the last episode of one of your favourite TV-shows knowing there will be no more.
Before we get to how the car drives it’s important to note that the R75 doesn’t really set itself apart from other F-Types built the last years, Jaguar added a few small badges - funnily the silhouette of the coupe version to mark that the car is one of the final edition ones.
This car is also painted in a new and stunning color called Giola Green only available for the anniversary models. Other than the badges and the new color there’s really nothing new.
The new Giola Green is a beautiful color and under comes alive under direct sunlight, it’s hard to tell in different situations if it’s leaning more towards blue or green.
During darkness the color looses its saturation and goes incognito-mode almost looking black or a very dark grey.
For 2021 the F-Type received a facelift that mostly affected the looks of the front of the car for the untrained eye. This gave the car more of a lower and sportier look as the headlights were placed further down the bumper which also contributed to a more aggressive approach.
For the 75, I would gladly have seen something different to spice it up even more. However, it is a very nice and sleek looking car, and without the Jaguar badges, depending on color I believe people could struggle figuring out what sports car manufacturer it actually is by.
Interior wise this car is optioned with the Light Oyster Windsor leather complementing the exterior very nicely, it’s a white with a greyish tone type of color and looks far better than a standard black over black interior/exterior combination.
There’s also the coupe “75” badge/silhouette of the car just above the infotainment system and on the door sills to remind you that you are getting into something more unique than a regular F-Type.
Seating position for the drivers seat is good if you’re tall, passenger side is however a bit uncomfortable as the glove compartment doesn’t give you much room left over for your knees. Some of the foldable parts when the roof is down lacks some quality and feels slightly loose when the roof is down, otherwise Jaguar interiors are known to be of nice quality.
I was genuinely excited over the fact that you can drive this car in pouring rain with the roof down as long as you drive over 80kmh- meaning that if you start driving and all of a sudden on the highway it starts raining, you’re completely fine, there’s no need to panic.
Not even a single rain drop hit my head and there’s no extra piece that you need to attach on the top of the windshield for wind deflection etc.
You’ll get the looks though, people will think you’re crazy, but who cares! The flow of the air is not even close to your head which gives you and passengers the opportunity to wear caps without risking them to fly off when sun is shining and you you’re looking for a bit of shade while enjoying the open top feeling of a convertible car.
The roof is also willing to quickly work up and down with you as long as you keep it under 50kmh.
As I have the R75 Convertible with a jaw-dropping price tag starting at SEK 1.746.900- in my hands out of the different anniversary models, we are given all wheel drive and of course the roaring supercharged V8 producing a whopping 575hp through its 8-speed gearbox.
The 75 (without the R in its name) is also available in coupe and convertible body styles but has its engine tuned down to 450hp and begins at a lower price tag.
The R75 Convertible is a joy to drive and handles exceptionally well through twisty roads making it feel planted and not at all wobbly when setting up the car for track mode, I was expecting this car to act more nervous in these types of scenarios but I was proven completely wrong.
The convertible has the same performance numbers as the coupe for 0-100kmh at 3.7 seconds. In any gear you can floor it and the car will move due its great torque, and passing cars on the highway barely requires you to shift down when in 7th or 8th gear.
However it doesn’t feel as fast as it actually is, I believe a lot of it has to do with the the car being pretty much completely quiet until it opens up the exhaust valves at about 3500 rpm when the roaring V8 starts singing its beautiful song we all associate the F-Types with.
I found that the car every now and then struggled with short-shifts from 2nd-3rd gear and that the rear wing sometimes didn’t respond to the open/close button being pushed. Of course no dealbreaker in anyway but worth mentioning.
As far as the sound goes, it is a very discreet car to drive at low speeds despite its aggressive looks. Like I said, the exhaust valves opens at 3500 rpm which means that in second or third gear that you most likely will be driving in cities or towns the car will be completely quiet unless you accelerate over 3500 rpm. However, in most places that rpm/gear combo will be way over the legal speed limit.
This pretty much means that if you drive this car in a regular basis in these environments you will rarely get to hear the roar of the V8 unless you do pulls in 1st gear. I wish there was an option to set this to your own liking or completely turn it off.
Crackles and pops are way tuned down compared the early model years of the F-Types that were built. This is understandable as those model years were probably slightly too wild.
I remember scaring people when driving by and letting off the right foot, especially when the exhaust note and pops would echo between buildings on city streets.
The F-Type R75 gets approved by me even though it may lack some excitement for being a send-off model for a legendary brand with racing history.
The car is a joy to drive and it rewards you with sound when being pushed, these cars are not meant to be garage queens, sunny, cloudy or even pouring rain is still enjoyable in the R75 Convertible .
And if it’s a good investment with its hefty price-tag is something time will tell!