To be revealed in partnership with Hot Wheels, the “new Jaguar F-Type” will arrive stateside for the 2021 model year. The two-door sports car available as a coupe or soft-top convertible isn’t getting the S63 twin-turbo V8 engine from BMW as it was reported time and again by sources and in the rumor mill, but the AJ-V8 with a thumpin’ great blower.
The video teaser at the end of the article, which reveals the launch will happen on December 2nd in partnership with Hot Wheels, also features the unmistakable sound of the Coventry cat’s V8. The S63 in the M5 Competition and M8 Competition is somewhat muted and silkier in tone than the AJ-V8, hence our suspicion that the change to BMW power will have to wait until the next generation of the F-Type. Speaking of which, a mid-engined layout is expected for the successor, complete with styling influences from the C-X75.
Not much else can be worked out from the short teaser clip, but slowing down the video to 0.25x on YouTube reveals a model of the 2021 F-Type clad in camouflage. The screenshot serving as the main picture of the article doesn’t reveal too much, only the design of the driver’s side, rocker panels, ten-spoke alloy wheels, and a little bit of the rear bumper.
Previous sightings of pre-production prototypes and working test mules reveal far more modern styling for the F-Type, which will soldier on with a familiar silhouette, rear-, and all-wheel drive. Under the hood, as we’ve mentioned beforehand, the AJ-V8 will be featured alongside an entry-level option in the guise of the 2.0-liter turbo gasoline Ingenium four-cylinder engine. It’s quite possible for the straight-six and turbocharged Ingenium with 48-volt electrification to replace the supercharged V6, but we’ll have to wait and see if we’re on point.
A manual transmission option with six forward ratios is exclusive to the V6 for the 2020 model year, and given the complexity of the straight-six Ingenium, chances are the stick shift will be shelved for 2021. On the other hand, there’s no denying the eight-speed, torque-converter automatic transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen suits the F-Type much better.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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