Motor Trend's Jonny Lieberman, the primary source of most important automotive news these days, has one more magic bombshell for us today: our beloved Jaguar F-Type is apparently getting not only a manual transmission, but also all-wheel drive. I am very excited about one of those things and somewhat excited about the other!
Lieberman made the announcement on his Twitter and said it's in the latest edition of Motor Trend, but if this news is online we can't find it yet. Keep in mind there's also no official confirmation from Jaguar at the moment.
Most likely said the move to a manual gearbox and all-wheel drive is designed to help the F-Type compete more with the Porsche 911, which does in fact have both of those things.
The F-Type, which comes in supercharged V6 and V8 forms, is easily one of the sexiest and most enthralling sports cars to come along in years. But one thing that has rankled enthusiasts is the fact that the car can only be had with an 8-speed ZF paddle-shift automatic.
While that transmission is in fact fantastic, it's somewhat unbecoming on a pure sports car like the F-Type, and it's seemed like a weird omission when compared to competitors like the 911 and the Corvette Stingray. I, for one, think a manual is what the F-Type always needed. It is what God intended.
As for all-wheel drive, I can't say I'm too keen on that, as the F-Type's tail-happy antics are part of what make it so amazing. But it will no doubt help to move cars, and it could provide a platform for even more power in the future.
Onward and upward, manual all-wheel drive F-Type!