Jaguar F-Type Rally Car Takes Final Lap at 2019 Wales Rally
One-off Jaguar F-TYPE Convertible rally car showed its precise agility and performance through chicanes, hairpins, and donuts.
Jaguar’s F-TYPE rally car put on a final display of precision driving for spectators at the 2019 Wales Rally GB. With Junior Welsh Tarmac Rally Champion Jade Paveley behind the wheel, the white convertible powered around a course featuring tight hairpin turns and a challenging slalom section, perfect for demonstrating the car’s hydraulic handbrake and uprated rally-spec chassis.
“The F-TYPE has always delivered outstanding agility, exploitable performance and a driving experience that is second-to-none,” said Tanmay Dube, Vehicle Integration Manager, Jaguar F-TYPE. “So we had the perfect starting point to develop a rally version which would showcase the responsive dynamics and engaging powertrain which are fundamental to the appeal of this beautiful sports car.”
“It has proven to be a fitting tribute to the legendary Jaguar XK120 rally car ‘NUB 120’ and for it to be driven in public for the last time at Wales Rally GB is the perfect way for the F-TYPE rally car to sign off,” said Dube.
The 290 hp, 2.0-liter rally car features bespoke FIA-spec modifications.
For Paveley, Junior Welsh Tarmac Rally Champion it was a fitting end, and she couldn’t ask for a better place to drive off into the proverbial sunset.
“North Wales is my home,” Paveley said. “So to have the opportunity to drive this amazing F-TYPE rally car at Wales Rally GB means a lot to me. It’s been a real privilege to put it through its paces here in Colwyn Bay on its last official public appearance.”
The car driven on the penultimate day of Wales Rally GB, Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship, is one of only two in the world. The Rally cars were built to celebrate 70 years since the introduction of Jaguar’s first sports car: the XK 120 in 1948. The models pay particular homage to the legendary ‘NUB 120’ which completed three consecutive Alpine Rallies without incurring a single penalty point and won the RAC and Tulip rallies in the early 1950’s.
They were first put through their paces in November 2018 in South Wales to demonstrate their performance credentials on gravel. After almost 12 months of appearances at Jaguar events, the special tarmac stage near the sweeping sands of Colwyn Bay, North Wales, was the perfect place for a final official public appearance.
Photos: Jaguar
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