When this editor was wee lad, Jaguars at Goodwood meant pretty much only one thing, an old E-Type in British Racing Green sitting on the grass. But the times have changed, and its modern-day counterpart is all about stunts.
The Jaguar F-Type Coupe has joined a pretty long list of cars that have gone up Goodwood Hill on two wheels. In fact, it's become a kind of Jaguar Land Rover specialty in recent years, as the F-Pace did the same thing three years ago, followed by a Range Rover.
As you can probably imagine, there aren't many people in the world who can balance a car on two wheels for several minutes. Stuntman Terry Grant is master of this weird form of motorsport, holding the record for the fastest mile on two wheels and many others like it. Unless we're mistaken, he was also behind the wheel of the loop-the-loop F-Pace attempt.
Even for an expert of Grant’s caliber, the two-wheeled drive required hours of planning. Even though it's a sports car, balancing the F-Type looks even more difficult than the SUVs. There are a few moments where it comes tantalizingly close to falling over, but Grant has the reflexes of a high-wire acrobat.
The specific model chosen is the F-Type R with a 550 horsepower version of the supercharged 5-liter V8. This is probably the rear-drive-only model, which they stopped making in 2018, based on the badges and the fact that the front wheel that's in the air isn't moving.
This "choice" of stunt car may have almost cost Terry the run, as about halfway through the lap, smoke begins to come out of the back, followed by a thumping sound. The rear differential has to send all that torque to just one powered wheel while, so it gives up and sends out a haze of white smoke.
While this was going on at Goodwood, Jaguar is working on the future of the F-Type and the brand as a whole. The replacement model was filmed undergoing testing at the Nurburgring track, causing us to speculate that the BMW 4.4-liter transplant has already taken place.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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