2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe AWD Engages in Four-Play [w/ Video]

Jaguar has never really tried to hide the fact that it considers the arch nemesis of its sexy-as-hell F-Type to be the Porsche 911. And while the first production front-engine Jag sports car since Tricky Dick was emptying the White House closets certainly goes blow-for-blow with the long-serving badonk-a-donk-motored German in many areas, the backbone of Porsche’s portfolio does have one noteworthy ace up its sleeve: The availability of all-wheel-drive. That’s a huge selling point for buyers in snowier climes, and for customers who enjoy the occasional ski retreat from a more temperate zone.

Well, now the folks in Stuttgart are going to have to kiss that advantage goodbye, because their colleagues in Coventry have revealed the AWD F-Type. Thus far, the top-banana F-Type R Coupe – with its 550 horsepower supercharged 5.0L V8 – is the only member of the F clan to have a confirmed four-paw version, though considering Jaguar has also confirmed that the F-Type range is slated to balloon from the current six models to 14 in the next year or so, so bet on most or all coupes and roadsters getting the option at some point.

In the meantime, Jaguar says the AWD R Coupe will hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and be limited to 186 mph. We’ll be checking it (and any other AWD F-Types the company decides to bring) out at the Los Angeles Auto Show in a couple weeks’ time. For now, we’ll just have to be content watching it tear across a dry lakebed in South Africa in a support role for Bloodhound Project, a British team building a jet-powered car(seen above) that will hopefully raise the Land Speed Record to a nice, round 1,000 mph.

Source: Jaguar