PARIS — Its predecessor is widely agreed to be among the most stunning sports cars ever — and Jaguar showed it was trying to go one better than the glory days of the 1960s with the new F-Type.
The Indian auto company Tata bought Jaguar Land Rover for $2.3 billion in 2008, betting big that it could revive two venerable British brands that had lost a bit of luster over the decades. The new F-Type, the first Jaguar two-seater in a half-century, is the first major Jaguar design shepherded through by the new owners.
Tata has been a hands-off owner for Jaguar, largely letting its British team make the major decisions on the car. At Wednesday’s unveiling, Tata executives were in the crowd, but it was the Jaguar design chief, Ian Callum, who took center stage.
And the designers looked to the past — and the famed E-Type, beloved by aficionados everywhere and called “the most beautiful car ever made” by Enzo Ferrari — to inspire what they clearly hope will be the automaker’s future.
“It’s just a tremendous challenge today to produce a beautiful car that meets all the world regulations,” said Philip Porter, a Jaguar historian who has written a book about the E-Type.
