Car years are a bit like dog years, in that individual lifespans are relatively short. After about five human years or so, it’s not uncommon for cars to be whisked away to the afterlife, replaced with a different generation. However, the Jaguar F-Type didn’t go away quietly after five years. It didn’t even go away quietly after seven model years. We’re ten model years in, and the F-Type is still kicking, but not for long. In a few months, death will come for Jaguar’s sports car, and the Jaguar F-Type ZP Edition will be the last F-Type ever.
Based on the top-dog 575-horsepower R75 model, the F-Type ZP Edition offers two different color schemes: Oulton Blue, named after Oulton Park circuit, with a red interior, and Crystal Grey with a navy blue interior. Each car features hand-painted white gumballs on the doors and a matching white grille surround, and each comes with a litany of badging. However, that’s where the special touches on all 150 F-Type ZP Editions stop.
A little painted-on nostalgia can’t erase the cataracts of time, nor is this final edition nearly as transformative as all-out send-offs we’ve seen from the likes of Dodge and Lamborghini. Jaguar doesn’t seem interested in making the last F-Type the greatest one ever, but that might be the point. See, the F-Type’s appeal always laid in what it was and what it wasn’t; what it could and couldn’t do. In a world obsessed with objective perfection, the F-Type leaned into the concept that flaws built character. Its trunk is tiny, it weighs hundreds of pounds more than a Porsche Cayman, visibility is questionable at best, and every so often, it would go wrong.
It’s been a while since I’ve last been around a JLR press car, but every single one has experienced some tiny malfunction. From an inoperative telematics module to a USB port that crapped out after a particularly vigorous left-hander, these minor annoyances are mildly infuriating on nearly-new cars. And you know what? I’d put up with all of them to hear that five-liter supercharged V8 sing again.
The Jaguar F-Type is too wild. It’s too boisterous. It’s too heavy to be a sports car, too harsh to be a grand tourer, and too full of its own shit to survive in a world where there’s always a quicker electric car. That’s what makes it great, though. It’s a drop-dead gorgeous instrument of weaponized sin that will dip your heart in liquid nitrogen and tap it with a hammer. Equal parts carnivorous and carnal, it titillates senses and snaps spines in equal measure, a roguish, charming lout that feels one social security number away from being human. The Porsche 911 is a brilliant sports car. The Jaguar F-Type is a friend.
Faster than you can blink, Jaguar will launch an all-new, all-electric lineup gunning for Bentley. Come 2025, expect more opulence, more silence, and an impressive turn of pace. With the rise of SUVs completed, Land Rover has become the volume brand, rendering Jaguar a niche player. While the next generation of Jags will undoubtedly be impressive, will they have the same Terry-Thomas charm as cars like the F-Type and the old XJ? I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.
(Photo credits: Jaguar)
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The F-Type’s biggest plus has always been its looks. It never really stood out at any one particular thing, but goshdarnit, look at it. LOOK AT IT.
I really loved the old manual V6 version. It was one of the few press loaners I didn’t really want to give back. The F-Type’s ideal form really was as a pretty GT car that was a joy to drive.
They should have leaned into that. Kept the manual, leaned heavier into being a stylish grand tourer. It didn’t need to chase performance stats. It needed to look cool.
I really do like the looks of the F-Type. Particularly in the coupe. Part of me is still thinking about getting one when they depreciate a little more.
That should be the perfect occasion to write a piece on the bonkers Jaguar V6 which basically is a V8 with two empty cylinders.
Either a stroke of genius or a terrible cost-driven bodge. I’d need to see the Bill-Of-Materials totals and warranty claim numbers to decide.
I’ve had “clever” project managers ask if we can do the same thing to a V6 to make a terrible V4. Sure, we could. But we already have a much cheaper I4…
I recently got behind an F Type coupe, and for my money, the rear end is the best, underappreciated part of these cars. Manages to look current and yet simultaneously convey an E-type vibe. Bravo Jaguar!
I’m with you on that. I was behind a new F-Type R (with the blown V8), and even though the driver drove like a jerk, the thing looked and sounded fantastic.
As an F Type coupe owner the trunk is perfectly adequate for a car of this type, and it does have the little hidden cubby hole underneath it, where you might imagine a gentleman art thief might stash his ill-gotten gains. I guess that’s the image Jaguar want to portray rather than the accountants (me) and dentists that actually buy these.
Jags have always seemed to me to offer one of the best overall combos of image and liveability. Even riding in one occasionally (me) makes me both feel like I could snorkel through a harbor in the dead of night to surreptitiously board a yacht and think I could actually drive something like this every day to places like the grocery store.
No BRG/Tan on the final edition? Pity. Guess I’ll keep this imaginary extra 6 figures burning a hole in my pocket.
Agreed – BRG w/ Red interior and red grill surround would be perfect.
I’ve had cats make it to 17-18 years old, human-measured.
Mr Tigg made it to 19. His sister, who lives down the road is still going strong. My friend’s cat made it to 21 I think.
I’ve had three cats make it to 21. None of us enjoyed the twice daily pills they all needed for the last few years.
The best Christmas I ever had was me and 4 cats with a huge turkey to share. I live with a cat allergic woman now.
My but I like the blue on red. I could do without the gumball. If I did purchase one of these, I would put Herbie’s number 53 in the gumball. Maybe the powerball will treat me well tonight and I could do it just because I can.
Thank God it’s not another variation of a Midnight Edition with black paint and black trim and black wheels and black exhaust tips and black badges and a black interior. I’d like mine in blue.