Special F-Type ends 75 years of Jaguar ICE sports cars

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 23:12:38 +0000
Automotive

Just 10 ZP Editions are coming to the UK

Supercharged Type ZP, inspired by E-Type racers, is the final version of Jaguar’s V8 sports car

Jaguar is retiring the F-Type with the Type ZP limited edition, bringing an end to 75 years of combustion-engined Jaguar sports cars.

Taking both its name and design inspiration from two ‘Project ZP’ E-Types that raced at Le Mans in the 1960s, it will be available in both coupé and convertible guises.

Just 150 examples of the run-out edition will be sold worldwide, 10 of them reserved for UK customers.

The Type ZP will join the F-Type 75, revealed last year, for the final year of production. Both come with an array of features to set them apart from the standard car, which is now available with only a 296bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. The special editions are offered with a 444bhp or 567bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8.

All three engines will be retired next year, as Jaguar prepares to reinvent itself as a purely electric luxury marque in 2025. The F-Type will be joined in retirement by the XE, XF, E-Pace and F-Pace.

Chief among the Type ZP’s special features is a hand-painted white racing roundel on each of the doors, as well as the choice of two colours that take influence from the Le Mans racers.

The colour schemes include gloss blue paint with red-and-black leather upholstery and gloss grey paint with blue-and-brown leather.

Both feature gloss white grille surrounds to match the roundels on the doors, which are in contrast to the gloss black brake callipers and exterior trim pieces. ‘ZP Edition’ badges feature on the front wheel arches.

It gets diamond-cut 20in forged alloy wheels, a gloss black dashboard to match the brake callipers and a ‘One of 150’ SV Bespoke plaque.

This marks it out from the F-Type 75, revealed last year to celebrate 75 years of Jaguar sports cars, with commemorative badging, gloss black wheels and a unique Giola Green paint option.

Performance is unchanged from the standard 5.0-litre F-Type, meaning a 0-62mph time of 3.5sec and a 186mph top speed. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover said: “The F-Type has captivated sports car drivers for more than a decade, just as the E-Type did five decades before it.

"The ZP Edition is the ultimate celebration of that lineage, joining an illustrious roster of heritage-inspired collector’s editions including the 2015 Project 7 and 2020 Heritage 60 Edition.”

Said Heritage 60 Edition has a starting price of £123,015, and it's expected that the ZP Edition will command an even more significant premium, given its ultra-exclusive billing.