The folks over at GoodCarBadCar do a fine job of keeping track of sales by model. But I am curious as the breakdown inside the model designation. Does anyone know or would like to hazard a guess as to how the F-Type sales break down between B, S, D, R, & SVR. I presume it is too early for the I. By way of comparison over at MB, the AMG models are often outsold by the base model ten to one. Any guesses are also appreciated.

 

We've tried to find the breakdown of F-Type sales by Model for the last 3 years to no avail.

 

Interesting and surprising. I don't know why it should be a state secret what the sales are. So lets say the total F-Type sales are 4,000 units. I could see 2,000 Base, 1,000 S, 800 R, and 200 SVR. That would seem like a normal distribution to me, and the curve would look like the MB curve on AMGs. If I am wrong I presume JagUSA would feel free to correct me.

 

But what I would want to know above that is how many were equipped with a manual transmission. We know from interviews that the take rate has apparently been lower than anticipated, but HOW MUCH lower.

I am just curious how rare mine might be. It would be nice if there were something like a Marti report for our vehicles...

 

I had read that they needed to sell MTs in 10% of the F-Types to recover their development costs, but had only realized 7% (~300/yr).

 

AFAIK the take rate on manuals on the F-Type is only around 3% - so I guess our cars are pretty rare. Which in turn has lead to speculation those cars could become future collectables - see here: What Modern Car Is a Future Classic?

When I got mine it was the only one for sale in Germany with a manual - apart from ordering new of course which is a lot more common than it is in the US.

 

For those that have not gone into the goodcarbadcar website to see F-Type sales (not broken down by sub-type) stats, very interesting - see Jaguar F-Type Sales Figures -

 

I think that believing a MT will render a F-type a collectable is a bit of a stretch. As much as an individual might enjoy the pleasures of manually selecting gears it is less desirable than automatically selecting them and the market and racing have confirmed that. Maybe one likes manually operated windows, but they are not going to make a car collectable (i.e. more valuable). I was watching a video about a Talbot-Lago with a Wilson pre-selector gear box. An interesting oddity but it added nothing to the value of the car.

 

Go check out prices for manual vs F1 semi auto Ferrari 360's and F430's.....

 

And used red Ferraris cost more than used blue ones. Does that mean red ones are more collectable than blue ones. I doubt it. I think it is just a matter of taste in a limited number of transactions not a market driven value. The 3 percent take rate means the MT cars are not desired by the market as a whole. Rare does not equal Collectable. Every automobile forum I am familiar with has this same discussion in exactly the same terms. Its nostalgia. Not wrong. But the longing for MTs is a decidedly minority position.

 

If the manual trans was an option with the V8 engine you might have a point but being exclusively available on the V6 is going to kill its collectibility long term. Thus there is no comparison to Ferrari.

 

FWIW, I found it interesting that Haggerty had a course set up at CotA this past weekend specifically to give instruction on how to drive a manual. I did not go over there (only hit the J/LR courses) but it looked to be a 65/66 Mustang and also a late 60's Chevy/Pontiac.

I enjoyed also looking at all of the toys in the garages and open pit areas that still were being raced with all three pedals in place.

J/LR staff on hand also bemoaned the lack of manual here in the States even in things like the XE even though assurances continue to be made that it will eventually show up.

Does it necessarily equate to becoming more collectible? Hard to say. But vehicles that are unique do often command a premium. I've lost track of the number of times people had their eyes bug out when mom would discuss how she sold her straight-6, bench-seat equipped 64 1/2 Mustang because Dad wanted a second Volvo in the late 60's. Sure it was no Shelby but it had value to the right purchaser precisely because of being unique...

 

Same story with Ferrari. The F430 was the last model offered with a manual gearbox. Take up rate was very low compared to F1 as everyone wanted the "new tech". Fast forward a decade or so and the far fewer manual cars are now far more desirable to the true driving enthusiasts who don't want a computer doing all the work of shifting for them.

Yes red Ferrari's are worth more, that has always been the case - however manual 360 and F430 models are more sought after and a lot higher in value irrespective of the color.

 

The point being debated was - would a manual gearbox make the F Type collectible. I believe it will regardless of engine type. I pointed to Ferrari as an example of how manual gearboxes can be more desirable and collectible than their automatic variants. I think the comparison is perfectly valid.

 

You are drawing a flawed conclusion.

MOST people do not want to order and wait for a vehicle. They want to find something on a lot and drive it home. And since general managers rarely order anything in a manual (and when they do, they often load it with options that not everyone wants), it makes it more difficult to sell, not because of the manual but, rather, because of the bloat. It was, in fact, one of the reasons I did not have MY manual F-Type until last week. I really was not keen on ordering and then waiting weeks on end for it to arrive...but I ALSO was not settling for a boring automatic. Paddle shifters are not my idea of fun OR driving...

A recent non-Jaguar example came when I was looking at trucks, specifically a 4x4 with manual. Dealership had four that came around the time of the storm. ALL FOUR sold within a few days. They got three more. Those ALSO sold within a few days. Meanwhile, they had slushboxes that were still there from April and May.

I saw the same thing with a Spider (Fiat) that I was looking at. They got one in with the color I wanted and lack of added crap, but it sold within hours of getting off-loaded and before I could get over to look at it.

There is indeed a market for the manual that is greater than 3% but too many will compromise because of the gottahaveitnow syndrome...

 

Let's be honest. Most of the people that buy new ferraris, jaguars, porsches are people with lots of money that really don't care that much about cars. Hence, they buy automatics. They may not even know how to drive a manual. People that buy them used and/or collect them want something unique and crave the driving experience. That explains manual 550, 360, 430 prices. I think one of the best purchases right now is the manual DBS. I also expect the svr to do well over time as well as manual cars.

 

I presume your categorical stereotyping applies with equal vigor to individuals who own and race formula cars.

 

Anything is collectible if someone wants to collect it. However I still say your comparison isn't valid... Will people prefer the manual over a V6 auto? Sure. Will people prefer a manual over a V8? Doubtful.

 

A late '60's 280SL 4 speed MT will fetch more than the 4 speed auto, and the 5 speed MT even more. As the F-Type is neither a competitive race or track car, the advantage of the automatic is wasted. At the end of the day, nostalgia will rule on the long term relative value of a collectible. Only time will tell. A good chance that the kids of today who are the likely collectors of these cars a long time in the future, will have no desire to learn how to use a rotary dial phone much less a manual transmission.

 

Un, you have a most valid point. The cars which are collected today are the ones that captivated kids when they were young. What did you want when you were in High School.

MTs haven't captivated people for a long time. I suppose the last time was in the late 50s. They are in a class with roll up windows. If a 3% take rate doesn't prove that I don't know what will. Time to more on.