Jaguar is rolling out the special-edition goods with the arrival of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition. Based on the coupé and convertible versions of the Jaguar F-TYPE R-Dynamic trim, the Chequered Flag Limited Edition is a celebration of the Big Cat’s history and lineage of sports cars that earnestly began with the arrival of the XK 120 back in 1948. In keeping with a number of past Jaguar F-TYPE special editions, the Chequered Flag Limited Edition mostly comes with exclusive cosmetic touches inside and out. It features a black roof, a new set of exclusive wheels, and enough badges to drive home the point that this is an exclusive 380-horsepower kitty that pays homage to its heritage. The Jaguar F-TYPE Chequered Flag Edition is available in the U.S. market at a starting price of $71,900.

2019 Jaguar F-TYPE Checkered Flag Limited Edition Coupe

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2019 Jaguar F-TYPE Checkered Flag Limited Edition Coupe
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

- Three body color choice: Carpathian Gray, Fuji White, Caldera Gray - Black roof - Exterior Black Design Pack comes standard - Exclusive set of 20-inch wheels - Lots of badging

A special edition Jaguar F-TYPE isn’t exactly ground-breaking news. We’ve already seen a handful of them in the past, including some pretty tasty ones like the F-TYPE Project 7 that Jag’s own custom arm, Special Vehicles Operations, cooked up back in 2015. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like SVO had any hand in the development of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition, otherwise, Jaguar would be tooting its horn already. The good news is that the Chequered Flag Limited Edition is interesting enough on its own.

A big part of the F-TYPE Project 7’s exclusivity is the limited number of paint options you can choose from. In total, there are three color options, specifically Carpathian Gray, Fuji White, and the delectable sounding Caldera Red. While I do fancy a simmering red F-TYPE, it’s hard to argue against those who opt for the gray and white versions. Either way, all coupé versions of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag come with a contrasting black roof, giving the coupé a distinctive two-tone color action.

Part of what makes this Jag special is that optional packages in other versions become standard in this one. The Exterior Black Design Pack, for example, comes standard on the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition. The package features gloss black side vents, body-colored side sills, and aero blades, and a gloss black rear valance with a Venturi Blade thrown in for good measure. You don’t need to convince me for me to know that the Exterior Black Design Pack works well in this specific special edition F-TYPE.

Of course, a special edition Jaguar wouldn’t be complete without a brand new set of — exclusive! — wheels. In this case, Jaguar opted for a set of 20-inch wheels adorned, predictably at this point, with black trim. And since I’m on the topic of predictable special edition features, a number of badges are tattooed into the Jaguar F-TYPE Chequered Flag Edition. There’s one in the front grille and another one at the back, just below the passenger-side taillamp.

I suppose Jaguar really wants the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Edition to stand out in a sea of other F-TYPE SEs. Given its identity as a celebration of Jag’s 70th anniversary of rolling out these spicy performance machines, it’s hard not to see it from the company’s perspective. 70 years is a big deal, as it should be.

Interior

- Ebony Windsor leather - Dark Brushed Aluminum center console trim - Embroidered logo on the headrests - InControl Touch Pro infotainment system comes standard

Do you know what’s better than admiring a special edition Jaguar from afar? Opening its doors and sitting inside. Do you know what’s better than that? Closing the doors and turning the ignition on. Ok, I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself. First, I want to admire the interior of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition because it is, in a word, a beauty. The Ebony Windsor Leather interior already has my attention. Sure, “Ebony Windsor” leather is just another name for “black,” but still, I like how it drapes over the entire cabin of the F-TYPE, wrapping up all that space in a blanket of soft leather. I’m not quite sure how the latter translates to the eyes, but let’s go with it.

Fix your gaze to the front of the interior and you’ll notice that the F-TYPE’s traditional Delta aluminum center console trim went out the door, replaced instead by a Dark Brushed Aluminum center console trim finisher. Quite frankly, I’m already a big fan of the standard aluminum trim on the console, but I can’t be mad at Jaguar for feeling the need to make the upgrade, especially since the Dark Brushed Aluminum trim on the center console perfectly complements the aesthetic treatment of the cabin. Speaking of complementary aesthetics, I’d be remiss if I don’t mention the embroidered checkered flags on the headrests and the checkered flag logo on the steering wheel. Oh, and that red leather strip you see in the 12 o’clock position of the steering wheel? That’s a subtle reminder that the car you’re driving is all about its performance chops.

As far as standard features go, the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition, by virtue of it being based on the F-TYPE R-Dynamic trim, is loaded on that front.In case you need a place to charge your gadgets, a power socket and a USB and 12V socket in the center console should all come in handy.

As much as I like the visual treatment of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag’s interior, I do find myself wondering if Jaguar isn’t just confusing us with all the fancy names it uses to describe the materials it puts into its special edition models. Ebony Windsor leather, for example, might as well be black, or, Premium Jet Black, as was the case in the interior of the F-TYPE British Design Edition, an earlier special edition F-TYPE that Jaguar released three years ago. Perhaps time has a way of making us forget past special edition models, but if you think about it, there’s only so much you can do in the F-Type’s interior to make it stand out. At least the F-TYPE British Design Edition came with a carbon fiber center console instead of the Dark Brushed Aluminum trim in this new limited edition model.

If Jaguar really wanted to make it a statement, it probably should’ve looped in SVO in the development of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition. Maybe we could’ve seen something along the lines of lightweight, race-style bucket seats finished in a quilted-diamond pattern with white stitching and carbon fiber veneer inserts, similar to what SVO did with the Project 7.

Drivetrain

- 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque - 3.0-liter supercharged six-cylinder with 380 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque - 5.4-second 0-to-60-mph / 155-mph top speed (2.0) - 4.9-second 0-to-60-mph / 171-mph top speed (3.0) - Standard eight-speed automatic transmission on both versions

If you’re fine with the “cheaper” version of the special edition F-TYPE, you’ll need to make do with Jaguar’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 296 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque.

The powertrain works in concert with an eight-speed transmission, which, in turn, sends all that power to the two rear wheels, enabling the F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition to sprint from 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

Suppose 296 horsepower isn’t enough to tickle your funny bones, you can opt for the higher-spec F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition. There’s an extra cost attached to it, but if you can stomach the lighter wallet, you’ll be treated to an F-TYPE that’s powered by a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 engine that produces a stout 380 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 339 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission also comes standard, though, in this setup, all that power goes to all four wheels.

Naturally, more power means a faster time. The V-6 F-TYPE is more than happy to acquiesce.

Whichever engine you choose, it's hard to think that you're not going to have fun with either of those two engines. It's just a matter of how much fun you want to have.

Jaguar F-Type Specifications

Engine

Supercharged V6

Supercharged V6

Supercharged V8

Compression ratio

10.5:1

10.5:1

9.5:1

Driveline

Rear-Wheel Drive
Manual: Rear-Wheel Drive

Rear-Wheel Drive
Manual: Rear-Wheel Drive
AWD: All-Wheel Drive

AWD

Transmission

Auto: Eight-speed ‘QuickShift’
Manual: 6-speed ZF

Auto: Eight-speed ‘QuickShift’
Manual: 6-speed ZF

Eight-speed ‘QuickShift’

Power

340 HP @ 6,500 RPM

380 HP @ 6,500 RPM

550 HP @ 6,500 RPM

Torque

332 LB-FT @ 3,500 - 5,000 RPM

339 @ 3,500 - 5,000 RPM

502 @ 3,500 RPM

0-60 mph

Auto: 5.1 sec
Manual: 5.5 sec

Auto: 4.8 sec
Manual: 5.3 sec
AWD: 4.9 sec

3.9 sec

Top speed - electronically limited

161 mph

171 mph

186 mph


Prices

Well, it’s come to that point, hasn’t it? As important as the exclusive aesthetics and the engine options are, we’ve now come to the most important question about the Jaguar F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition.

How much is it?

The good news is that the lower-spec version of the special edition Jaguar F-TYPE Chequered Flag is close in price to the base F-TYPE. The bad news, at least for some of you, is that it still starts at $71,900 for the coupé version and $74,300 for the convertible version. If you want the higher-spec version of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag, you’re going to have to shell out a few stacks to buy one. The coupé version, for instance, starts at $94,500, while the convertible version will set you back at least $96,900. In fact, the 3.0 F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition is the most expensive version of the sports car outside of the much more powerful F-TYPE R and the even more powerful range-topping F-TYPE SVR.

Consider this: if you’re going to spend $94,500 for the coupé version of the F-TYPE Chequered Flag, you only need $7,000 to buy the 550-horsepower F-TYPE R. An interesting proposition, wouldn’t you say?

Trim

Engine

Driveline

Coupe

Convertible

F-TYPE

P300 - 2.0L T/C I4; 296HP

RWD

$61,600

$64,700

F-TYPE Checkered Flag Limited Edition

P300 - 2.0L T/C I4; 296HP

RWD

$71,900

$74,300

F-TYPE

P340 - 3.0L S/C V6; 340HP

RWD

$71,100

$74,200

F-TYPE R-Dynamic

P380 - 3.0L S/C V6; 380HP

RWD

$84,300

$87,400

F-TYPE R-Dynamic

P380 - 3.0L S/C V6; 380HP

AWD

$87,300

$90,400

F-TYPE Checkered Flag Limited Edition

P380 - 3.0L S/C V6; 380HP

AWD

$94,500

$96,900

F-TYPE R

R - 5.0L S/C V8; 550HP

AWD

$101,800

$104,900

F-TYPE SVR

SVR - 5.0L S/C V8; 575HP

AWD

$123,600

$126,700


Final thoughts

The Jaguar F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition is the kind of sports car you’d want to show off to everyone. It has a unique story behind it, and it’s developed by one of the finest performance car builders in the market today. In a lot of ways, it’s what a prototype special edition should be. But it has a few issues, not the least of which is the price Jaguar is asking for one. Are you prepared to spend more than $70,000 on a special edition Jaguar F-TYPE that, if you think about it, isn’t really dripping in special edition details? If you’re not going to spend that much money on one, what more on the version that’s going to set you back almost $100,000. It’s hard to stomach spending that much money when you can spend it on other sports cars that offer better performance. I like the Jaguar F-TYPE Chequered Flag Limited Edition. I do. But I don’t like it enough to justify spending that much money on it.

Further Reading

Read up more about the 2018 Jaguar F-Type

Read our full review on the 2018 Jaguar F-Type SVR.