First Jaguar F-Type customer cars leave Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich

The first proper sports car from Jaguar since the E-Type ended production almost 40 years ago (and it could be argued the later V12 E-Types were more a GT than a proper sports car), the F-Type is a hook to hang Jaguar’s future intent on – and it seems to be making a pretty good fist of it.

It may not be cheap (you’ll pay £80k for a V8 F-Type) and it may be heavier than its lightweight aluminium underpinnings promise, but it looks great, goes very well and seems to have proper Jaguar ‘Soul’. A winning combination.

Now, Jaguar’s customers will be getting the first chance to get behind the wheel of their own F-Type with the first cars leaving Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich rail link, heading off to customers across the globe (Jaguar is sold in 170 countries), with the US the biggest market, closely followed by the UK and Germany.

And as a sign of just how important Jaguar and the F-Type are to the UK economy, Jaguar has revealed that the F-Type has generated £2.8 billion of supplier contracts, with £1.5 billion of that to UK suppliers, half of which are in the Midlands. Ian Hartnett, JLR’s Purchasing Director, said:

As one of the leading investors in automotive research and development in the UK, Jaguar Land Rover generates several billion pounds of economic activity here every year. As today’s announcement demonstrates we are working with world-class suppliers to strengthen the UK automotive supply base and support our ambitious plans for growth in the future.

Let’s hope the F-Type sees Jaguar’s renaissance moving to another level ahead of the new small Jaguar saloon and compact SUV/Crossover arriving in 2015.

By Cars UK