Jaguar might be rethinking the entire layout of their most popular two-door sports car, the F-Type, perhaps willing to adopt a mid-engine layout for its second generation, or so says their design chief Ian Callum.
While speaking with Road & Track, Callum mused on the possibility - both in terms of design and the dynamic advantages it could yield - of having a compact mid-engine sports car that, if not outright replacing the F-Type, could be offered alongside it.
He made clear, however, that at almost every turn, the various departments within Jaguar Land Rover have core disagreements concerning the idea despite being supportive of its exploration. Perhaps, then, it will look a lot like the CX-75 Concept that debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and, after subsequent project cancellation, appeared as the baddie car in the 2015 James Bond film, Spectre, powered by a supercharged V8 instead of the turbine-electric system originally showcased.
Indeed, turning the F-Type into a mid-engine machine would dramatically change its character and place within the market. No longer might it compete in the same way with the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin Vantage, but instead with the Ferrari 488 GTB, McLaren 570S, and Audi R8 V10 Plus.
If Jaguar Land Rover wants to engage those cars as rivals, perhaps it would be prudent to consider an entirely new model altogether, one perhaps based upon the F-Type’s dimensions and powertrain but with its motor crucially mounted amidship.
Callum also revealed that the layout was indeed explored to some extent during early development on the current first-generation F-Type as a proof of concept, but the decision ultimately went in favour of a more traditionally Jaguar-like front-engine rear-driven format.
Should a mid-engine F-Type make it beyond the conception phase and comes down the pipe as a full production model, it would have large shoes to fill as the last Jag with a mid-mounted motor was the legendary XJ220 supercar.
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