I drove Jaguar’s stunning F-Type 75 Convertible – it’s a capable sporty GT & reminder of what we’re soon going to miss

HERE’S a sign of the times – as if we needed another one.

It’s the final hurrah for Jaguar’s F-Type, the spiritual successor to arguably the most beautiful sports car ever created, the E-Type.

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It also marks 75 years since Jaguar started making sports cars in the form of the XK120 – hence the 75 in the name.

I’ll say it’s a “special edition” and not a “limited edition” because Jag want to sell as many of these old school charmers as they can. 

But it is limited by time because Jag will stop making cars with internal combustion engines as early as next year. The future for the British brand is strictly electric and supremely luxurious.

So no room then, it seems, for a smallish roadster as we wait patiently for the firm to reinvent itself for 2025.

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Another sad story is the lack of engineering and visual updates in this, er, “special limited” edition.

The lusty V8 in both states of tune (450hp and 575hp) remains the same, as do all the other greasy bits and bobs previously addressed in a 2020 refresh.

What very subtly marks the “75” is what Jaguar calls a carefully curated package of stylistic touches applied to both coupe and convertible models.

 Most notable is the exclusive Giola Green metallic paint you can see on this test car. From there it whittles down to blackened Jaguar badges on the nose and tail, gloss black 20in alloys and a set of silhouettes on the dash, treadplates and front wings.

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But let’s not get bogged down in the lack of accoutrements and the tired infotainment system, and focus instead on the old-worldly pleasure this thoroughbred delivers.

The sweet spot, for me, is the lower-powered P450, which also happens to be a good £25k cheaper. It’s still bestowed with 450 horses, rear-wheel drive and a sonorous eight-cylindered soundtrack best played in the convertible with the soft-top down and “dynamic” mode enabled. This is everything you could want from a Jaguar sports car and won’t have you dialling the chiropractor after a long ride.

But if you rather like your chiropractor then you might prefer the hotter R75 in its stiffer and more rakish coupe form.

That’s 575hp, all-wheel drive, and has a 0-62mph time of just 3.7secs. The kidney-jolting gear shifts make it a distinctly different proposal to the more supple and creamy-smooth P450. It also tips the £100k mark. Either way, this is it. The last chance saloon, sorry, coupe/convertible.

Saying goodbye is always tough. But then not knowing what’s next is always exciting.