Jaguar F-TYPE Has Mid-Engine Dreams, Too

A new generation of the Jaguar F-TYPE is already in the works and there’s a chance it might depart from tradition to follow a path most recently taken by… the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette.

Indeed, before leaving Jaguar a few months ago to start his own company, former head of design Ian Callum worked with his successor on plans for the future F-TYPE. And what they envisioned was a radically different coupe with a mid-engine layout.

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No more long hood with a big engine underneath. The latter would instead take place right behind the cockpit, ahead of the rear axle. The idea, of course, is to optimize weight distribution to make the F-TYPE more agile and increase performance.

By adopting a lower and wider stance, not to mention more aggressive styling, Jaguar’s beloved and acclaimed sports car would resemble the C-X75 concept that was introduced in 2010 but cancelled at the last minute due to low sales projections (the picture above shows a modern interpretation from the movie Spectre).

Furthermore, sources told Autocar that the mid-mounted engine would be part of a hybrid powertrain with all-wheel drive. Surprised?

For the record, the Jaguar F-TYPE is expected to be updated for 2021 and get a complete overhaul three years later, according to our information. The possibility that it will retain its front-engine, rear-wheel drive setup still exists, mind you. A decision on the car’s orientation will likely be made sooner rather than later.

The main takeaway from all of this is that Jaguar sees a future for the F-TYPE and is not thinking about replacing it with an entirely different vehicle like, God forbid, an SUV.