F-type at last!

The original E-type - purrr

The new F-type, ready to pounce

We’ve been waiting since 1974, when flares were huge and Garry Glitter seemed like a laugh. At this September’s Paris Show, the wraps finally came off a successor to the E-type Jaguar.
   I didn’t make it to Paris, so I haven’t seen it in the flesh (fur?). From the pics, my first impressions are that it's a stylish machine with real presence, but I’m not going to cry because I can’t have one, the way I do when I see an E-type or XK120.
   Jaguar's Head of Design, Ian Callum, observed in an interview with Autocar "Is it as sexy or as glamorous as an E-type? Give it 20 years and we'll find out." He's right, of course.
   So far, the response from the international press has been cheering and weeping. I really hope it does well.
But isn't it sad that no F-type emerged when Jaguar was still actually British, rather than just built here? The man who made the F-type happen is Ratan Tata, boss of Indian giant Tata which now owns Jaguar Landrover. Tata is a real car enthusiast and a man with vision as well as commercial know-how. I suppose we should be grateful these two great British marques ended up in such a pair of safe hands, after the Brits dropped the ball.
Click here for F-type picture gallery.