LOS ANGELES — If open-air motoring is not to your taste, a coupe version of the Jaguar F-Type will give you the head turning styling and performance you so desire. The all-aluminum F-Type Coupe delivers the uncompromised design vision of the Jaguar C-X16 concept, and complements the existing F-Type Convertible.

This Jaguar's styling is a marvel. Its beauty draws stares. It features an athletic stance sitting low with muscular front fenders and rear haunches, an oversized front grille, and aggressive air intakes.

As in the convertible there's a V-6 option that will make this Jaguar more assessable starting at $65,000. It's no slouch with a 3.0-liter supercharged engine making 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Zero-60 performance checks in around 5 seconds. The V-6 brings decent gas mileage rated at 20 mpg city and 28 on the highway. A second V-6 choice is the F-Type S that cranks out 40 more horses and improves performance by a couple ticks. It starts at $77,000. Standard equipment on both models is generous, but options are plentiful. And they both come with evocative exhaust notes.

The 495- horsepower V8 S found in the convertible has been replaced in the Coupe with a 550-

horsepower 5-liter Supercharged V8 R. Priced at $99,000 it’s a magnificent road car that will easily find its way to a bevy of race tracks hither and yon.

The F-Type R Coupe according to Jaguar reaches 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds  although in testing it achieved a time of 3.6 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 186 mph. 50-75 mph passing acceleration takes a mere 2.4 seconds.

All F-Type engines deliver not only exhilarating performance but also excellent efficiency thanks to such technologies as spray-guided direct injection (SGDI) and dual independent variable cam timing (DIVCT). The high-pressure die-cast lightweight aluminum block is stiffened with cast-iron liners and cross-bolted main bearing caps. The four-valve cylinder heads are fed by a Roots-type twin vortex supercharger via two air-to-liquid intercoolers.

The F-Type R Coupe offers a higher state of performance capability than the formidable F-Type V8 S Convertible, not only with more power but also a specifically tuned chassis and dynamic control systems. Spring rates on the R Coupe are increased by 4.3% at the front and 3.7% at the rear. 

An impressive eight-speed automatic transmission with manual paddle-shifter controls is part of equation. A manual is not on the menu but that didn't bother us because the auto shifter is so superb. F-Type’s incredible quickness is aided by a curb weight of just 3,477 pounds.

The R Coupe EPA ratings are 16 mpg in the city, 23 on the highway with a combined number of 18. But to get those numbers you will have to use almost super-human restraint and be willing to severely dampen the fun factor built into this brutish British beauty.

The F-Type R Coupe includes the Jaguar Super Performance braking system, which is also featured on the F-Type V8 S Convertible. This system features 15-inch (380mm) front and 14.8-inch (376mm) rear discs with red painted calipers. Brake cooling is optimized via under-body channeling of air.

For those that want to head to the track the Coupe F-Type R, V8 S and S models are available with optional Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes, which offer absolute consistency of performance and excellent fade resistance. The CCM brakes offer vivid yellow monoblock calipers — six-piston at the front and four-piston at the rear — grip 15.7-inch (398mm) front and 15-inch (380mm) rear brake discs made from a matrix of carbon fiber and ceramic, which is extremely hard and highly resistant to wear. Models equipped with CCM brakes come with forged 20-inch ‘Storm’ wheels with black gloss/diamond-turned finish.

Tuned by Meridian the F-Type’s integrated 380-Watt audio system uses 10 speakers including one subwoofer and a separate digital amplifier. An optional 770-Watt surround sound version (standard in F-Type R Coupe) plays through 12 speakers, including a subwoofer. HD Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio are standard on the R Coupe and optional on all other models.

The new Coupe is a wonderful vehicle with magnificent style and outstanding performance and it is likely the F-Type will capture the grace and elegance and the remarkable obsession of the E-Type which found its place in automotive history and art some 50 years ago. Another brilliant Jaguar sports car!

— Ted Biederman