FIRSTLOOK

Sporty two-seat roadster to be followed by coupe in late 2014

Is this pic for real? 

It is. The F-type will be unveiled at the Paris motor show this week in production-ready form after being shown as the C-X16 concept 12 months ago in Frankfurt.

The design cues for the F-type stay faithful to the C-X16, except that the roof has been lopped off. The F-type goes on sale first as a roadster by mid-2013 and as a coupe in late 2014.

Is it a replacement for the XK?

Jaguar says it isn't, despite the F-type being based on a shortened platform of the XK Coupe and Cabriolet.

It may just be a coincidence that the XK is now six years old, but Jaguar wishes the F-type to be billed as the successor of the iconic E-type of the 1970s. Look carefully in this picture and note the F-type's angular rear aping that of the E-type.

It should be quite sporty to be drive...

Yes, particularly by being based on truncated rear-drive floorplan of the already nimble XK. In fact, Jaguar says the entry-level F-type will even be sportier to drive than the fiery XKR-S.

The F-type's technical credentials are the ones announced earlier this year: 340hp/380hp 3.0-litre supercharged V6 and 5.0-litre supercharged V8 developing 495hp (it was either 470hp or 510hp in other Jag applications). The most powerful F-type, called V8 S, goes from 0-100kph in 4.2sec.

Drive is via an eight-speed automatic, while automatic stop/start is standard.

The F-type sounds like it will be pricier than the Boxster...

That will probably be the case, that is, to position the F-type between the Boxster and 911 from Porsche.

We are then talking about circa 8-10 million baht for the F-type in Thailand _ the price range of high-performance rivals like the Audi TT RS, BMW Z4 35iS and Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG and Porsche Boxster S.

It would be interesting to see if Jaguar will move down the price ranks with a cheaper F-type powered by either a normally aspirated V6 or four-cylinder engine with forced induction to chase for more sales.