Production: 2000
Production Type: Concept
The F-Type concept was a two-seat speedster with a 3.0-litre V6 engine from the S-Type saloon conceived to compete against light weight sports cars, such as the Porsche Boxster. Geoff Lawson, Jaguar's Head of Design, had been working on the development of the car, leading a team of three designers namely Keith Helfet, Adam Hatton and Pasi Pennanen. His sudden death in 1999 led Ian Callum, the new Head of Design, to continue the project who would present the finalised concept car to the general public at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show to a positive response due to its retro styling which recalled Jaguar automobiles of the 1950s and 60s. At its introduction, the car was quoted to be available with a manual or automatic transmission and an optional all-wheel-drive system. Budget cuts by parent company Ford led Jaguar to pursue its efforts in Formula-One and by 2002, the F-Type project was cancelled due to its failure to meet production feasibility.