2001 Jaguar Vanden Plas Classic 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 Jaguar F-Type V6 S Coupe

My first, ill-fated job in the auto world was at an exotic car dealer in metro Detroit. The job itself sucked, but the cars, they were exceptional. Amidst a sea of Tiptronic Porsche Boxsters, first-gen Mercedes-Benz SLKs and abused second-generation Range Rovers, there were some real gems.
In particular, I have fond memories of a trio of undrivable Jaguar E-Types. Two Series II coupes as well as a Series III convertible (that featured a mostly broken roof) spent the entirety of my brief tenure at the dealership in the back of the musty service garage. I'd make side trips through there just to see the trio of E-Types, which rarely failed to put a big, ridiculous grin on my face.
Since that time in the summer of 2005, there hasn't been a single Jag that's been capable of eliciting the same goofy smile. Not the XFR-S, with its un-aristocratic wing, nor the XKR-S. At the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, though, Jaguar introduced this F-Type Coupe. Sure, the droptop model had been around for a bit, but I thought it was the new coupe that most captured the E-Type's classic aesthetic, with a swooping roofline, those gorgeous rear haunches and a long, powerful hood. I had to drive one.

Jaguar re-releases the toolkit the E-Type came with when it was new

Finding a complete, original toolkit is a rare treat for vintage car collectors. Jaguar's Classic division has its finger on the hobby's pulse, so it launched a reproduction of the toolkit placed in every new E-Type between 1961 and 1971. It lets owners put the final, factory-correct touch on their restoration. The British firm rummaged through its archives to find the toolkit's engineering records in order to make it to the exact same specifications as the original. The list of tools included in the bundle includes pliers, a three-piece screwdriver, a screwdriver used to adjust the ignition points, a feeler gauge, a grease gun, a valve timing gun, and an assortment of wrenches. They're all Jaguar-branded, and they come in a leatherette pouch that's just like the one buyers got when they purchased a new E-Type. It fits neatly in a corner of the E's trunk; the only thing missing is a rag to wipe your hands with when you're done wrenching. Jaguar doesn't offer one -- yet. Jaguar noted that only Series I and Series II variants of the E-Type came with the toolkit, and it went out of production nearly 50 years ago. This is a classic British car we're talking about, so you can safely bet the cost of a full, in-house restoration that the tools saw plenty of use. They inevitably ended up in mix-and-match toolboxes over the years. Sourcing a complete kit in good condition is consequently difficult, and expensive; some trade hands for nearly $6,500. Available online from Jaguar - Land Rover's classic shop, the reproduction is priced at 732 British pounds (about $950), so it's a bargain in comparison. Still, we wouldn't blame owners who decide to keep the toolkit for decorative purposes, and use much cheaper tools when wrenching gets serious.

Here's the 2021 Jaguar F-Type reveal with Hot Wheels

UPDATE: The car has been shown in full. You can check out all the details in our reveal post here. The collaboration with Hot Wheels sprouted the reveal video that you can find above. Jaguar and Hot Wheels built a 761-foot long course with 44 corners in the Jaguar design studio. You can see the F-Type Hot Wheels cars go around it before meeting the life-size F-Type at the end. There’s a new Jaguar F-Type coming today, and the show is bound to be worth watching. Jaguar is revealing the sports car at 3 p.m. ET, and itÂ’s being done in partnership with Hot Wheels. We all know how dramatic and wild Jaguar reveals can be from its previous stunts. With Hot Wheels as a partner, this F-Type presentation is bound to be quite the show.  If youÂ’d like to see the latest teaser from Jaguar for the F-Type, check out our post here. The Hot Wheels loop-do-loop stunt is teased out, and we get a short glimpse of the car itself.  Spy shots have made it out to be mightily similar to the current generation of F-Type from a design standpoint, but thereÂ’s nothing wrong with that. Standby for a reveal soon. Jaguar F-Type Convertible 3 View 28 Photos