Jaguar F-Type V8 S sprint test in Jabbeke – then off to Geneva 2013 in convoy + video

Jaguar has taken the new F-Type V8 S to Jabbeke for sprint testing then on to Geneva in convoy with XK 120, C-type, D-type and E-type sports cars.

We may already have had the debut of the Jaguar F-Type at Paris last year – and UK prices for the F-Type too – but that’s not going to stop Jaguar from making a bit of a show of the new F-Type at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

So Jaguar took the F-Type off to Jabbeke, Belgium – where Jaguar’s test driver Norman Dewis managed a world record flying mile speed of 172.4mph in an XK 120 60 years ago – and put Le Mans driver Andy Wallace in the driver’s seat to see how quickly the F-Type V8 S would go.

Andy had just a two mile stretch of closed road to play with the F-Type and yet managed a 0-179-0 with a clocked time of 4.2 seconds to 62mph on the way.

It’s the first time anyone outside Jaguar has got behind the wheel of the F-Type in anger, and thankfully the V8 S lived up to the promise Jaguar has been making for its performance.

Andy Wallace said:

I was delighted to be invited by Jaguar to be the first to undertake a public sprint test in the new F-TYPE. Our result today is amazing considering the original sprint test road was five miles in length and today we had less than half that to achieve 179mph. The car was still accelerating toward its top speed when I had to brake.****”

Once Jaguar had finished playing with the F-Type in Belgium, an identical F-Type joined a Jaguar XK 120, C-type, D-type and E-type to form a convoy showcasing the bloodline of the F-Type en-route to Geneva for this week’s motor show. In the process, the F-Type V8 S managed to average 35.6mpg.

Jaguar F-Type Pictures

Not that you’ll ever come close to 35mpg in the real world unless you drive like a learner. And what would be the point of buying the very promising F-Type if you do?