Out With The New And In The With Newer (and more ferocious)

I love cars. I know a little about them, but not a huge amount. The checklist I run through in my head when deciding if I want to drive something or not goes as follows:

1. Does it look sexy?
2. Does it sound sexy?
3. Do you get a thrill when you turn it on/put your foot on gas?

 

Well, in the case of this first car, I can safely say check, check, check.

This is the Jaguar F-type which has long been one of my dream cars, so when Jag offered me one on an ‘extended loan’ (basically I could borrow it until they needed it back), I jumped at the chance.

This little beauty is the 3 litre V6 and the noise it makes when you press the ‘start’ button gave me thrills every time.

This specific car is the ‘British Design Edition’ which means you get a special blue paint job, which is also reflected on the stitching of the interior and seeing as Jaguar is a British brand, you have little nods to the union jack throughout (you can see one in next to the S on the grill, above).

It’s a real head-turner and as you can see from my face, it’s also incredible drive.

(apart from in the shot where I look grumpy because I was stuck at a red light for eternity in horrendous London traffic)

I had been driving this little beauty for about 3 months, so when Jag got in touch and told me that they needed her back, it felt like they were taking away my baby.

However, they offered to swap her in for an F-Type R, which is a different animal all together.

Going back to my checklist:

1. Does it look sexy? Check
2. Does it sound sexy? CHECK
3. Do you get a thrill when you turn it on/put your foot on gas? OH MY GOD, CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This monster is the 5 litre V8 and the difference between the two blew my mind!

It has twice the number of exhausts but to my ears, sounds about 4 times as incredible when you turn her on or hit the gas. Even when she’s just purring at the traffic light.

I have been going out of my way to use tunnels, just so I can open the window and listen to the echo.

Both versions have a slide-y thing in the roof that you can pull back to reveal a glass top, which on days like the one I shot this photo is a beautiful touch.

That little slider to the right of the gear stick is like the red button in the car from ‘Men in Black’. When you pull it down to the flag, ‘Dynamic Mode’ is engaged and the car cranks things up to 11.

I thought the she sounded sexy before, but the noise and the performance offered once the switch is flicked brings a huge, childish grin to my face.

I’m in love and when Jaguar ask for her back, I have no problems with living my life on the run. She’s fast and I have a head start, I think I can make it to Europe.