Jaguar F-Type SVR

Jaguar and Land Rover are storied brands, both growing up in the English countryside and wending their ways through history via very different paths—Jaguar manufacturing both sporty and elegant cars, and Land Rover creating some of the sturdiest off-road vehicles known to man (and the Queen). And who could have foreseen, during each of their many decades of independence, that one day they would be joined (corporately speaking) under a single owner… and that the owner bringing them together would be India’s Tata Motors?

But that’s what happened in 2008, after each of the brands tried different corporate betrothals (most recently, Jaguar was part of Ford and Land Rover was part of BMW until Ford bought Land Rover, too, in 2000). Presumably, each company can leverage the engineering achievements of the other, producing even better cars than before.

That said, let’s start with the fast cat: the Jaguar F-Type SVR. It has a ton of power (try 575 on for size), a top speed in excess of 200 miles per hour, and acceleration that can easily get you arrested in virtually every corner of the planet. Who needs that kind of power, you ask? If that’s your thought process, this isn’t for you. But mea culpa, this coupe—this fire-breathing, exhaust-crackling, road-hugging, scofflaw- encouraging coupe—is lovable.

Early on, Jaguars were among the leading cars of the world. Starting with its race cars in the 1930s, Jaguar was highly sought after by royalty (both real and entertainment) and its cars won races globally. Even Enzo Ferrari himself—certainly a man who knew automotive beauty when he saw it—was quoted as saying that the Jaguar XK-E was the most beautiful car ever made.

The F-Type burst onto the U.S. motoring scene in 2013 and, smartly, it was offered with a wide array of options, including motors with a big spread of power choices. It first came in convertible and, soon thereafter, coupe. Then, both were introduced with ‘R’ variants and more horsepower—500 and 550, respectively. But now Jaguar’s top performance moniker, SVR, has upped both of their power levels and top speeds. While you may have thought the F-Types were as good as it gets, the SVR moves the bar even higher.