Last of the petrol Jaguars: ROB HULL drives one of many ultimate F-Type sports activities automobiles constructed earlier than it goes electrical

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you’ll be well aware that Jaguar has left the internal combustion engine in its rear view mirror and turned the corner towards an all-electric future. 

And it’s not gone about its business quietly.

A controversial advertising campaign to unveil a dramatic rebrand – which includes ditching some of its iconic logos – was revealed along with suggestions from execs that its EV future will alienate 85 per cent of existing customers.

A new Jaguar will emerge in 2026, though only after a ‘strategic’ 12-month hiatus from the market in what bosses have dubbed a planned ‘fire break’ to help its downsized dealer network prepare for the most dramatic shift change in the company’s 102-year history.

During much of this year-long ‘sunset period’, Jaguar will be a car maker that doesn’t actually make any cars.

Its factory in Castle Bromwich wound up in May, lowering the curtain on the XE and XF saloons. And, most tragic of all, it spelled the end for the F-Type sports car – the jewel in the company’s crown for a decade.

MailOnline and This is Money Motoring Editor Rob Hull managed to get his hands on one of the last snarling V8 F-Types off the assembly line to get one final fix of unleaded Jaguar enjoyment.

So, what will we be missing when the British marque enters a bold new world of zero tailpipe emissions, zero sound and almost zero intention of retaining existing customers?

Last of the Jaguar F-Types: The ’75’

It seems fitting that the last ‘new’ Jag I drive with a combustion engine under its expansive bonnet is the F-Type.

Introduced to the market in 2013, the spiritual successor to the E-Type is, without question, Jaguar’s most exhilarating model since the turn of the century. Maybe longer.

Often considered too heavy and cumbersome to be counted as a full bore sports car, F-Type toes the line between American-style muscle car and grand tourer.

I would personally consider it the latter, not least because it’s the perfect segway into Jaguar’s electric future that will begin with a four-door GT car of enormous proportions. Don’t take my word for it; check out the images of the prototype testing on the road.

Over the course of the last decade, I’ve driven just about every version of the F-Type there is: from the entry level four-cylinder, all V6 iterations and the biblically loud V8s.

In recent years, Jaguar has whittled the range down to just the eight cylinder; that’s the one most people aspired to buy anyway.

In 2023, the British brand – now owned by Indian giant Tata – began sales of its swangsong ’75’-edition F-Type, marking the 75th anniversary of its sports cars stretching back to the 1948 XK120.

There are no performance changes, but a range of 75-etched interior and exterior elements to denote that this is one of the final-run coupes and convertibles.

Upgrades include black 20-inch alloy wheels and matching badging, and a full-quota of standard equipment to make it one of the highest-spec F-Types in its 11-year lineage.

The result is quite the eye-watering price tag. 

Without any options, our coupe costs £104,880 (if you can still find a zero-mile example in showrooms). Ironically, that’s around the same price Jaguar expects its future – younger – clientele to pay for its debut next-generation EV.

What’s under the bonnet?

The contrast to Jaguar’s green electric future couldn’t be more striking.

Up front is a colossal 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine cocooned by an enormous clamshell hood. 

An eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox is given the monumental task of delivering its 567 horses – and 516lb ft of torque – to all four wheels. 

The paperwork says it can accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 3.5 seconds, though only if you can resist – and have the sleight of foot to avoid – spinning the wheels and triggering the traction control. Top speed is 186mph, which in court lingo translates to ‘bye bye driving licence’.

Combined with a kerb weight of one and three-quarter tonnes (1,780kg), its polluting potential is a significant detour from Jag’s green ambitions. Whisper CO2 emissions of 239g/km to a member of Greenpeace and they’ll probably have an aneurism.

So, is it thirsty too? You bet it is! 

While it might say 27mpg on the spec sheet, you’ll have to drive in an incredibly restrained manner to see those numbers. If, like me, the joy of extracting the full cacophony of its eight cylinder engine is simply too tempting, you’ll struggle to witness a fuel economy figure that doesn’t start with a ‘1’.

What’s the F-Type like to drive?

Over the last ten years, the F-Type has offered a Goldilocks range of engines.

The underpowered four-cylinder is definitely the colder of the porridges, while the V6 is the one that’s just right – combining ample power and brilliant soundtrack with modest weight over the front wheels.

The V8, then, is the scalding hot breakfast option; what it packs in phenomenal power it also brings in extra bulk over the axle at the business end.

As such, it gets a range of chassis upgrades, including uprated springs and anti-roll bars to cope with the power unit’s additional heft. And it does a great job of masking its increase in mass in most scenarios.

For long-distance GT treks across Europe, the ride is adequately comfortable. Though when you do eventually reach a mountain pass with spaghetti-like hairpin bends it won’t have the handling finesse of rivals (say a £99,800 Porsche 911 Carrera) but is still thoroughly enjoyable in the unruly way it delivers an avalanche of power..

The perfect accompaniment to this ham-fisted accelleration is an utterly intoxicating chorus of eight cylinders. 

Enhanced by a standard-fit performance exhaust system in our ’75’ edition, it’s rowdy, though not in an obnoxious way; think of it as a disorderly gentleman after a few too many champagnes compared to something like a Ford Mustang, which is more of a fist-throwing thug fuelled by ten pints in the boozer. 

It’s so good, in fact, that a recording of the V8 has been archived in the British Library to live on eternally. No, really, it has.

Despite very little in terms of upgrades in the last decade, the ZF auto transmission is still suitably snappy for a car of this ilk. In fact, the relatively untouched mechanicals of the F-Type have aged with aplomb since debuting some 11 years ago.

Does the F-Type feel special inside? 

While the F-Type drivetrain doesn’t feel at all outdated, the same can’t be said about its interior.

Had I been met with this 10-inch infotainment display in a 2024 supermini, I would have been somewhat disappointed; to find it still lurking in a £100,000 Jaguar is, by today’s standards, criminal. 

This is especially offensive when you know that the Pivi Pro system in JLR products launched since F-Type is among the best on the market.

At least the lack of updates to the cabin tech means the main controls are button operated – a far better solution than throwing functionality at a distracting touchscreen. 

The switchgear and steering have an old-school, industrial weightiness to them, as do the toggle buttons and rotary dial controls across the dash and centre console.

But it’s hard to get away from the fact the interior feels antiquated, especially at a time when other car makers have gone gung-ho on lavish cockpit design.

Strictly a two-seater (as it always has been), there’s plenty of room for driver and passenger not to clash elbows. And there’s enough storage space for a couple of weekend bags and a set of golf clubs in the boot.

Jaguar F-Type 75: The Cars & Motoring verdict

As Jaguar signals the end of its century-long relationship with the internal combustion engine, there really isn’t a better model to go out on than F-Type.

With its XE and XF saloons excellent to drive but in recent years proving about as popular as a poacher at a WWF conference, and its E-Pace and F-Pace SUVs decidedly too Range Rovery, for many the F-Type is the last of the genuine Jags.

And what a belter it is, both to look at and drive.

The only real disappointment is its drab and tech-dated interior.

With that raucous V8 under the bonnet, every journey feels special. Okay, it’s not as pin-sharp to drive as some sports car rivals, but it has a loveable unwieldiness when you push it hard that’s played out with one of the greatest automotive soundtracks of the recent era.

Sadly, its what I love most about the F-Type that is likely to be missing from its next-generation of exclusively electric cars that won’t generate the same audible drama. 

Unlike the British brand’s decision to ditch its classic roaring cat badges, which can quite easily make a comeback if bosses decide they don’t want to wash their hands of 100 years of heritage, the combustion-engined Jaguar is sadly not going to make a return.

As the rebranded company pins its future existence on a new battery breed, it will be difficult to not look back at this week with the F-Type and wish it would have been given at least another five years of enjoyment to drivers before new petrols are outlawed entirely.