Jaguar is keeping it old-school by confirming that the new Jaguar F-Type sports car will indeed get the option of a manual gearbox. “Sports cars need a manual transmission for sports credibility”, said Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar global brand director.
Speculation over whether or not the Jaguar F-Type would get a manual gearbox was rife from the start. Then, when the car was revealed with only an automatic option, the purity of the re-imagined British sports car came into question by many. Now Jaguar has set the record straight, but with the caveat that the manual gearbox won’t be arriving for quite some time they say. This news comes just after it was announced that Jaguar / Land Rover will begin using ZF’s brand new 9-speed automatic transmission across their range of cars.
Adrian Hallmark also reported that Jaguar could quite possibly offer a brand new 6- or 7-speed transmission in the upcoming F-Type model, with the potential of incorporating it into the XF saloon over time.
For what it’s worth, we know the modern-day trend is towards efficient automatic and double-clutch gearboxes, but we hope Jaguar sticks to its guns on manual gearbox options, particularly in the F-Type, because nothing beats the driver involvement of a clutch pedal at your foot and gear knob in the palm of your hand.
