The Jaguar F-type R already is a pretty menacing machine, and come this summer, anyone with a driver’s license will be able to blast out of the showroom in an even faster, 200-mph version. Our only advice to the fortunate, crazy folks who find their names on the title to a new 2017 F-type SVR: The brake pedal is on the left, and maybe hold off on pressing that console button with the squiggly lines behind the car, at least for a while.
Following the Range Rover Sport SVR, the F-type SVR is the latest installment from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations, the company’s heritage, customization, and in-house speed shop. And it has brought forth an F-type that is not only hellaciously fast but louder, too.
A Smidge More Power, A Lot More Speed
Unlike SVR’s F-type Project 7 roadsters, a limited run of rear-wheel-drive nostalgia machines with a racing suspension tune, the SVR is more an R+ than a totally custom job. The supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 puts down an identical 575 horsepower as the Project 7 (and 25 more than the R) but even more torque (516 lb-ft versus 502) thanks to new intercoolers and hood vents that allow for freer breathing. The ZF eight-speed automatic’s software quickens shift times and the launch control is altered for harder acceleration from a stop, while tweaks to the torque-vectoring rear differential, all-wheel-drive system, and the stability control also help the SVR power to 60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds, or 0.4-second quicker than the R. We expect our times to be a few tenths quicker than that, as we clocked a 2016 F-type R at 3.4 seconds. The SVR coupe tops out at the magic 200-mph mark, a 14-mph bump over the R; the convertible can only do 195. For what it’s worth, Vmax for both body styles is still electronically limited. That’s to stay within the safe operating range of the Pirelli P Zero tires, which are 10 millimeters wider front and rear, now measuring 265/35R-20 and 305/30R-20.
Look Back in Anger
Despite the familiar quad tips, the SVR’s exhaust is entirely new and responsible for more than half of the SVR’s 55-pound weight savings over the regular R. Inconel (a nickel-chromium alloy) and titanium let Jaguar thin the pipe walls to two-tenths of an inch while allowing greater peak temperatures and reduced backpressure. Even the active baffles are made from titanium, and they open earlier without any provocation from the F-type’s Dynamic mode or the exhaust switch inside the cabin. All this, according to Jaguar, gives the SVR “an even more distinctive, purposeful, harder-edged exhaust note.” As if the F-type R doesn’t already drown out Harleys with its outrageous roar and off-throttle gunfire-like pops.
That new exhaust helps out in the aero department, too. Instead of the R’s single transverse-mounted stainless-steel muffler, the SVR mounts its two mufflers further inboard to accommodate a rear venturi and underbody tray. The front bumper gets larger intakes and a more aggressive chin spoiler, while a diagonal outlet in the fenders lets turbulent air quickly escape. The SVR’s wildest aero trick is perhaps the carbon-fiber rear wing. Although it appears bolted in place, hidden within the twin struts is a clever hinge that can tilt the wing rearward, increasing its angle, or slide it forward for minimum drag. At max-attack mode, Jaguar claims the wing’s operation cuts drag by 2.5 percent and lift by 15 percent versus the R’s retractable, partial-width spoiler.
Suspension tweaks include a new cast-aluminum rear-suspension knuckle, a thicker rear anti-roll bar, a thinner front anti-roll bar, and a rear track that is 0.7-inch narrower than the R’s. In its effort to tame the all-wheel-drive R’s understeer at the limit, Jaguar modified the adaptive dampers with new valves and software.
As on R models, carbon-ceramic brakes are an option here. Along with larger rotors (15.7-inch front/15.0-inch rear versus the standard steel 15.0-inch/14.8-inch setup), the carbon brakes also come with lighter forged-aluminum wheels that shave another 30 pounds. Add the optional carbon-fiber roof and other pieces such as carbon-fiber rollover hoops on the convertible, and the SVR is said to shed a total of 110 pounds compared with a standard R.
The Usual Trimmings, Plus a Little More
Inside, the SVR features diamond-stitched seats with contrast stitching and piping, even for the floor mats. The shift paddles are now anodized aluminum rather than plastic, and optional microsuede can be ordered on the steering wheel and center console. Unlike the raciest Porsche models, the SVR comes with air conditioning, a stereo, navigation, and real interior door pulls. All the usual comforts you’d expect in an F-type cabin are here.
Prices start at $126,945 for the SVR coupe and $129,795 for the convertible. A short list of options, most notably the $12,000 carbon-ceramic brakes and $3200 carbon-fiber roof, are available. Order now for summer delivery, and note that, while pricey, an SVR is a bit of a steal versus the $165,925 Project 7—and even more so next to the XKR-S GT that stickered for $174,925 two years ago. All this for a fully warrantied, 200-mph rocket that’s ready to drive off the showroom floor. Buyer beware.
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