Jaguar F type R convertible.
I’ve said it before but some days are better than others. BlackTopMedia recently had a particularly good day……..actually, the kind of day that you might only have a handful of in your entire life.
The reason we had such a good day is that we got let loose in the Jaguar F type R.
Let’s get it over with. This car is absolutely, ridiculously, wonderfully glorious. It’s brutally fast and makes a noise that can bring a grown man to tears.
I’d better give you a couple of stats but this isn’t that kind of review, don’t worry. That glorious supercharged V8 engine produces 550 PS (542 HP) and 680 Nm yes 680!!! which will propel this magnificent creation to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, then on to 186 mph if you dare.
Actually, I lie. That impressively brilliant V8 engine doesn’t push the car forward at all. Similar to the planet express ship in futurama,this car stays where it is and turns the world underneath it.
What’s is like to drive? It is truly splendid, no word of a lie (or swear down as the kids say). From the moment you slide into the fabulously opulent but tight and supportive, top quality leather bucket seats, the car just works. It fits like a glove, like you’ve owned it for years, like it’s yours.
I couldn’t tell you what the entertainment system was like, although i expect it was very good. Instead I opted to flick the active sports exhaust button (here after called the loud button) and soak up the sound of 680 supercharged V8 Jaguar torques ricocheting off the trees and houses as we drove, roof down.
The sound is a combination of WWII fighter, and the roar of the Greek god Zeus. Did I say roar? I meant cheer.
The F type R genuinely scares people. Loud button on, driving through a sleepy town, you find yourself looking for opportunities to accelerate enough for the bark of the exhaust to scare passers by. If that doesn’t do it, and it always does, the backfire on overrun certainly will.
Oddly, most of them don’t mind when they see it’s a beautiful, British made Jaguar and not some crazy WWII pilot flying his fighter down the high street. If it was a chav in some hot hatch carbuncle it would be a different story I’m sure.
The car is magnificent in every way. It’s faster than you will ever need, handles like nothing else and stops harder than it goes. The steering is pin sharp yet somehow not twitchy and the ride is a magical blend of supple enough not to crash over pot holes but firm enough to keep the car dead flat and totally poised when cornering hard.
Everybody loved the F type R. Other car drivers, kids on the pavement, old couples out for a stroll and most importantly, me. It’s a truly epic car and I am privileged to have been able to drive it, just for a while.
