With a nod to its heritage, Jaguar plans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Jaguar E-type’s debut in March 2021 with the release of the F-Type Heritage 60 Edition.
Limited to 60 cars worldwide, the trim package is available in both coupe and convertible body styles, offered in any color you want as long as its Sherwood Green, used by Jaguar from 1957 through 1968.
“We’ve worked closely with Jaguar Design to develop a theme for the F-Type Heritage 60 Edition that pays homage to the E-type in a contemporary way,” said Mark Turner, commercial director, Jaguar SV Bespoke, in a statement. “It’s testament to Jaguar’s sports car design lineage that the 1960s Sherwood Green color looks as though it was designed for today’s F-Type.”
(Jaguar celebrating 60 years of E-type with limited-edition models.)
SV Bespoke, the division within Jaguar Special Vehicles Operations that specializes in customizing vehicle color choices, created the model using original drawings, paint codes and other material sourced from Jaguar Classic. The fact that green is reappearing on a Jaguar at all is a testament to the retirement of the brand’s Director of Design, Ian Callum. He detested green – particularly British Racing Green – and made sure the color was rarely offered.
In addition to the heritage hue, the F-Type Heritage 60 Edition is shod with gloss black 20-inch forged alloy wheels, gloss black and chrome exterior accents, and black brake calipers. Inside, two-tone leather trim, unique aluminum trim inspired by the E-Type’s mirror housing, and a plethora of E-Type 60th anniversary logos. Commemorative sill plates, a commissioning plaque and special carpet mats complete the model’s unique detailing.
Each model will start life at the brand’s Castle Bromwich plant, and be finished at Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations
in Warwickshire by the SV Bespoke team.
The new F-Type Heritage 60 Edition is a continuation of the E-Type’s diamond anniversary celebration by the company. Earlier this year, Jaguar Classic announced the production of six limited-edition 1960s E-types that mimic the appearance of the E-types unveiled at its world debut in Geneva, Switzerland in March 1961.
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It’s the latest in a long line of special editions that Jaguar has issued in recent years, a move favored by a number of automakers, and with good reason.
“Special editions like this tend to get the headlines in the covers,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions LLC. “You get a special edition with a little embroidery or a new paint color, and as long as it doesn’t cost anything more to get it through emission or safety, then it doesn’t cost a lot to put it in production.”
Certainly it’s a lesson Jaguar is learning.
There was the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace S First Edition, with its 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 producing 380 horsepower, and its interior loaded with every luxury option available. The XE SV Project 8 launched in mid-2017 from Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations and limited to 300 units worldwide, featured a 592-hp version of Jaguar’s 5.0-liter supercharged V8, making it the most powerful road-legal Jaguar ever produced.
Limited editions have proven successful enough that Jaguar unleashed the Checkered Flag Edition on E-Pace, F-Pace, F-Type and XF for the 2020 model year, as well as the F-Pace 300 Sport Limited Edition.
(Jaguar rolls out 10 fully restored E-types.)
The F-Type Heritage 60 Edition is the first limited addition unveiled for 2021. Pricing was not announced.
Line starts behind me…