CARS, COFFEE AND THE ALL-NEW JAGUAR F-TYPE

The sight of one all‑new Jaguar F‑TYPE roadster at the weekly ‘Cars and Coffee’ gathering in Irvine, Calif., would have been thrilling enough to the hundreds of car enthusiasts; but the sight of three at last Saturday’s event was, to many, just beyond belief.

As L.A. is the biggest sports car market in the world, Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC shipped a 495hp british racing green metallic F‑TYPE V8 S together with a supercharged V6‑engine F‑TYPE in rhodium silver metallic, to California specifically for the must‑attend car‑lovers’ event.

Brian Sim, Western Region Marketing Coordinator, Jaguar Land Rover, and his team had the two
F‑TYPE sports cars parked in the ‘Cars and Coffee’ venue by 5:45 a.m. sharp.

“Even at that time; in the morning before the sun was up, there were hundreds of enthusiasts around. The truly distinctive exhaust note of the F‑TYPE attracted people like a magnet,” explains Sim.

With the two F‑TYPE vehicles parked in premium spots in the 400‑space display area, the crowds only continued to build. Then, the sound of that distinctive exhaust was heard again like a shot of espresso for car enthusiasts. Suddenly on‑lookers parted and the third F‑TYPE, a firesand metallic F‑TYPE S, cruised into the parking area.

“It was such a surprise. An LA‑based journalist who was reviewing the F‑TYPE for his newspaper had decided to bring the Jaguar test car to ‘Cars and Coffee’ and get feedback from the enthusiast crowd. Naturally we found space for the car next to the other two which gave us the opportunity to showcase the entire model line‑up of F‑TYPE, F‑TYPE S and F‑TYPE V8 S,” said Sim.

With its roots stretching back to 1983, ‘Cars and Coffee’ in Irvine is considered by many to be the greatest weekly automotive gathering in the world. Every Saturday it attracts as many as 500 of the coolest cars; from hot rods to supercars, racecars to classics, to the most top‑end luxury models.

“We had a nonstop stream of questions about the F‑TYPE from Jaguar owners and fans but also from people who were there with Lamborghinis, McLarens, Porsches and other high end luxury cars,” explains Brian. The most common questions I received were ‘Is that really the stock exhaust?’ and of course ‘When can I buy one?’ (Today, May 20, 2013).

One of the highlights of ‘Cars and Coffee,’ is definitely ‘the departure.’ This takes place between 8:30 and 9 a.m. when the cars fire‑up and drive slowly out of the event area as the gathering comes to an end for another week.

“When the F‑TYPE cars reved up for their departure, we got a sense of how paparazzi‑chased rock stars feel leaving a restaurant; cameras were flashing and people were pushing forward to get a closer look. Of course, we felt it our duty to let them hear that exhaust growl one more time,” adds Sim.

The all‑new Jaguar F‑TYPE goes on sale today! More information on Jaguar’s newest two‑seater sports car can be found at JaguarUSA.com.