Jaguar is believed to be preparing an all-wheel-drive version of its F-Type coupe and roadster to challenge German four-paw rivals such as the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S and the Audi R8 quattro.
That Jaguar is developing more powerful and dynamic variants of the F-Type is nothing new – the R coupe and roadster have been confirmed and four of the spy shots here are believed to be of a camouflaged R-S soft-top.
But the first signs of all-wheel-drive variants came when a coupe (above) and convertible were caught on a public road in Britain, both wearing camouflage over the wings and bonnet.
A closer look shows the disguise attempts to hide a pronounced hump in the bonnet, not seen on other F-Type models. It’s a clear indication, say those in the know, that Jaguar’s engineers have slightly raised the mounting points for the engine so they can squeeze in a front differential and driveshaft underneath it.
All-wheel-drive is nothing new for Jaguar, even though it’s exclusively rear-drive in this part of the world. It has four-paw variants of the XF and XJ sedans for cold-weather northern hemisphere markets and will offer the same choice in the new mid-size XE sedan.
Developing even more powerful models along the way is nothing new either. German spy photo agency Automedia say the four camouflaged images here are of the soft-top R-S, the F-Type flyer. Giveaways, it says, are a slightly different lower front-lip spoiler, carbon-ceramic brakes, carbon-fibre wing mirrors, and the prominent boot-lid spoiler.
The supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine in the R-S is expected to develop upwards of 450kW/ 700Nm. The same engine in the R models delivers 404kW/680Nm, enough for a 0-100km/h sprint time of four seconds and a top speed of 300km/h.
The photo of the camouflaged F-Type coupe (BK63 XRT) is believed to be that of the R variant. Why? Check out the four exhaust pipes. How about the fixed rear wing with racecar-like endplates instead of the standard F-Type’s pop-up airbrake?
