When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1. If you drive some of the muscle cars of the late 60's very early 70's, those cars were "too fast." Go straight, you're ok, try to corner at speed and you're going to get quite intimate with the guardrail.
2. It's all about balance. How many double A rechargeable batteries can you pack into a car? So you can make it go 0-60 in .1 sec? A great car is great because the power and handling capabilities are in sync. This is why GT3RS's and GT2RS's are what they are.
Our F-types are almost a perfect blend of style, power, and agility.
Remembering my 351 Cleveland Torino, I'd have to agree. Of course, it had almost 2x the displacement of the V6 F-Type (and about 15% less HP). It WAS an adventure to drive in the snow when I was a grad student in Philly with 70-series standard-ply tires.
Of course, today, the word "Hellcat" comes to mind, so the phenomenon isn't totally dead.
Cars are too fast....this video speaks to me....as a former solo PCA driver....in a GT2, fast cars (too fast cars) get for the most part boring on the street...the F-type is about as fast as the street can handle....I use 3rd a lot...a lot... (V6 third, shorter than V8 I think).
These are the best street cars. My 996 with 500hp was boring on the street...the 992's are probably even more boring...they are too fast, too good. 488....F8....have no idea how I'd use those on the street.....track insurance is hitting big bucks...
Anyway, the p300 IS fast enough...but don't give up on the sound - that is the key ingredient to these cars in my opinion. Just don't do that.....trust me.
I don't recall who was the author of this statement, but I think it may have some bearing in this conversation: "It is much more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow". I believe that a P300, properly outifitted with the desirous toys, bells & whistles, along with perhaps, an exhaust and wheel upgrade, would satisfy most people. Although I miss the rumble of a V8 and therefore somewhat lust after an "R"; I certainly can get have gotten in more than enough trouble and enjoy every moment of my V6. Yeah, I probably will put a Stage 2 VAP tune on it this spring and bump it up to 450HP, but even that will be overkill for my 77-year old ***. Most of my previous sports cars had far less power, looks, comfort and civility than a P300 does today.
Last edited by PaulBarrrera; 11-25-2023 at 02:22 PM.
Good points there. As said the P300 sure is plenty fast but it would be a shame to miss out on the sound. It definitely has a lighter front end than the bigger engined F-Types, which is praised by some. The V6S is definitely too fast for enjoyable public roads and you reach its limits in no time, not to mention the V8 cars. And by enjoyable I mean curvy roads and not boring highways.
I don't recall who was the author of this statement, but I think it may have some bearing in this conversation: "It is much more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow". I believe that a P300, properly outifitted with the desirous toys, bells & whistles, along with perhaps, an exhaust and wheel upgrade, would satisfy most people. Although I miss the rumble of a V8 and therefore somewhat lust after an "R"; I certainly can get have gotten in more than enough trouble and enjoy every moment of my V6. Yeah, I probably will put a Stage 2 VAP tune on it this spring and bump it up to 450HP, but even that will be overkill for my 77-year old ***. Most of my previous sports cars had far less power, looks, comfort and civility than a P300 does today.
I bet you could count on one finger the number of people who have had two E-Types and two Fiero GT's!
I bet you could count on one finger the number of people who have had two E-Types and two Fiero GT's!
Which finger???? Yeah, I had the E-Types when I was single. When I had the Fiero Gts, I was married and wasn't allowed to have the ultimate "Crumpet Catcher" anymore. Now I'm old and have my 928 and the F-Type. I do have to say that while I don't miss the oil leaks, lucas electrics, SU sidedraft carbs, non-syncro first gear, hydraulic clutch, inboard rear brakes and laboriously cleaning the wire wheels with a toothbrush;The XKE is still the most beautiful automobile ever designed. Having said that, I love my F-type more than any vehical I've owned since.
Last edited by PaulBarrrera; 11-25-2023 at 06:31 PM.
My V6 XF with pulley and tune,and the additional Transmission tune smoked my neighbors F-type V8,sc from a dig ,a little less than a 1/4mile, then I saw him coming, too late I slowed down and we laughed i new he was going to pass me soon, good times ,the V6 is perfect for around town, the V8 is great to ,but for the money the V6 is sufficient
Last edited by dennis black; 11-25-2023 at 07:42 PM.
Which finger???? Yeah, I had the E-Types when I was single. When I had the Fiero Gts, I was married and wasn't allowed to have the ultimate "Crumpet Catcher" anymore. Now I'm old and have my 928 and the F-Type. I do have to say that while I don't miss the oil leaks, lucas electrics, SU sidedraft carbs, non-syncro first gear, hydraulic clutch, inboard rear brakes and laboriously cleaning the wire wheels with a toothbrush;The XKE is still the most beautiful automobile ever designed. Having said that, I love my F-type more than any vehical I've owned since.
Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity to buy a gorgeous power blue v12 E type roadster in 1974 for USD15K [knew a guy going into the Navy and he had no place to store it].
I meant no disrespect as it seems like an E type and a Fiero GT are pretty much the opposite ends of the sports car world [although I never claim that I partook in the Fiero GT experience]. It's like saying that you married Catherine Bach and Roseann Barr in succession.
Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity to buy a gorgeous power blue v12 E type roadster in 1974 for USD15K [knew a guy going into the Navy and he had no place to store it] I meant no disrespect as it seems like an E type and a Fiero GT are pretty much the opposite ends of the sports car world [although I never claim that I partook in the Fiero GT experience]. It's like saying that you married Catherine Bach and Roseann Barr in succession.
Synthesis, No disrespect assumed so all is good, I thought it was a unique and comedic analogy. However, I'd be disinclined to equate a Fiero GT as the Rosean Barr of automobiles. I think that categorization would be more fitting to it's Pontiac family sister: The Aztec. It is absolutely the ugliest car ever designed by committee of blind, souless old white guys who spawned the earliest parents of the woke generation prior to them being corporately castrated. You have put me in the unique position of defending a Fiero after owning multiple classic sports cars and lived to tell about it. The Fiero was actually a fun, sporty small car with the rear-mounted V6, was reasonably quick and had a fairly comfortable yet good handling chassis. It is/was not a sports car, particularly in the face of the Jags, Big Healeys, Porsches, etc. that I've owned but was more fun than the Buick Rivieras, Thunderbirds and Lincoln Marks that also lived in my driveway. I bought the first one for my (former) wife and got a second one for me that I had tricked-out. It was a good, sporty placemaker during a short period in my life when I didn't have the desire for a "true" sportscar. I even considered stretching the chassis 6 inches, dropping a Cadillac Northstar V8 in it and putting a Ferrari 355 body kit on it. Common sense stopped me and then I bought the Porsche 928. After 25 years of owning that, I've spent $45K doing a restoration and light resto-mod on it and now I'm only $5K away from having a $30K Porsche. At the end of the day and an excessively long reply, my F-Type is probably the last sports car I'll buy and I dont regret that thought.
Last edited by PaulBarrrera; 11-26-2023 at 12:45 PM.
Having been around during the muscle car period my opinion is different.
First. The performance of the P300 is above average when compared to the muscle cars of the 70's. Most would be hard pressed to go 0-60 in under 6 seconds. Unless modified.
They were moderately dangerous at over 60 mph because of the ridiculous front suspension and brakes. My son is restoring a 69 Chevelle SS. So I know a lot about them. Driven it often. They float!
The P300 can get well over 30 mpg on the highway. The SS 396 about 10.
Likely the _P300 is the most nimble as it is the lightest car of the F series and has the best weight balance. The P300 was faster than the 340 with the manual transmission. Factory numbers.
Most of the P300s have no identification on them. Thus they all look the same as the other models. Beautiful. Mine turns heads everywhere.
The only downside is the quiet exhaust. It is a joy to drive. It is amazing on two lane blacktop roads in the middle of nowhere.
This is so much a personal choice.
I’ve been driving a P300 for three years now. I really like the car, and it has plenty of power for me.
I chose an F-Type because it is beautiful and comfortable.
I don’t do street racing or track the car. I am a conservative driver, Grandpa that I am, but on the occasional dry, empty road my right foot presses down hard on the go pedal and the car leaps ahead with surprising gusto. 0-60 in under 6 seconds. The 4-cylinder takes up less room in the engine bay and is probably easier to work on than the V6 and V8, but I have not had to do anything to it yet except change the oil. (Oh, and this engine comes with a real oil dip stick).
My one complaint is that the auto transmission shift points are too low. So, I put it in “S” mode most of the time and that helps.
My neighbor has a V8 car and I drove it. Lovely car, intoxicating sound, brutally fast. But my P300 is everything I wanted. It’s light and fast enough. And, it looks and sounds pretty nice with the Supersprint exhaust.
I just put it away for the winter. <sigh>. I miss her already.
Good luck in your search and get what is best for you.
My one complaint is that the auto transmission shift points are too low. So, I put it in “S” mode most of the time and that helps.
That's because you drive it like a grandpa! Remember it adjusts to your driving sryle - if you "press on" the shift points will get higher, and if you floor it it'll redline before shifting. I find mine anticipates me - just as I'm thinking "it should shift" it does! I think it reads my mind.
Top gears Clarkson remark was that these 0-60 in 3 second cars are really not a good idea to drive much. Not a street car.
he bought a 6 cylinder f type.
yep, he is old.
my sons 69 Chevelle now has over 400 hp and a modern 6 speed. The modern engine is much lighter than the 454. It is scary to drive. He ordered a suspension package for it last week.
This is so much a personal choice. I’ve been driving a P300 for three years now.
Back in the late 90's, I almost pulled the trigger on importing a 993 GT2. To me [although not street-legal in the U.S.] this was the ultimate 911 [last of the air-cooled engines]. Fortunately, common sense prevailed and I ended up with a C2S that looked exactly like a European Turbo S. Sweet car.
Looking back at that decision, and although it would have been a great investment [USD137K at the time], the car would have been track only, and even at that time, my Mario Andretti days were in the rear view mirror.
Being close to 70 this time around I wanted a car that was the best of all worlds [although handling is the priority]. The first F type I drove was a '18 v6 400 sport and it had plenty of power for my needs. I did feel the car felt heavy and did not like the sensation of body roll coming out of turns, so I lowered the base v6 I eventually bought and it made an incredible difference.
I would suggest that if you want to improve the feel of your car, find somebody that has lowered theirs and see what you think. It is a very reasonable [cost] mod that significantly changes the character of the car. Of course, the car does ride rougher because the springs are stiffer, but....
With the VAP stage 1 tune, I now have 416hp and it's really ideal for me. And that's the story...you make it what works best for you. That's why there are three flavors from which to choose.
Jay Leno often comments when he is out driving one of his vintage sports cars that on public roads and highways, the most fun is had between 40 and 80 MPH.
I owned a 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE and a 1993 Toyota MR2 among many other cars. I often drove them in the Southern California mountains and they were great fun, being light and "tossable" even though they didn't make a lot of horsepower. The MR2 did have a tendency for the rear end to want to come around very suddenly when it reached a certain point and without a lot of warning.
I now drive my F Type R on the same roads and I can certainly feel the weight, bulk and mass of that car compared to sports cars of the past. The speed limit on the State Highways is 55 MPH and there aren't many straightaways. Although with my Jag it is easy to go from 45 to 110 MPH in a very, very short distance but then I have to brake hard to take the next hairpin turn. So I mostly just drive it "briskly" on the mountain roads.
I think a modern F Type with about 400 HP, RWD and a 6 speed manual and about 400-500 lbs lighter would have been an outstanding configuration. A 4 pot with a tune wouldn't be a bad driver on those kinds of roads either since you can only go so fast without going off a cliff.
One thing I noticed when I first started shopping for my F Type was there were a lot of 4 pot convertibles on the dealer's lots, and they were often advertised at considerable discounts. I always thought that JLR was trying to import a lot of the 4 cylinder models in order to help raise the CAFE numbers. And no offense intended, the 4 cylinder cars, especially convertibles were probably being marketed as what we used to call "secretary specials" like when Datsun started offering the 260Z in a 2+2 configuration and with an automatic transmission. The dealers were likely selling them to people who wanted the prestige of a Jaguar, a nice convertible for Sou Cal weather and didn't care about overall performance. A Turbo 4 was enough for their kind of driving.
That said, you might be able to find one greatly discounted since they were discounted heavily when new and I'll bet a lot were also leased. That will give you some room for modifications.
11-25-2023, 12:52 PM
It was kind of fun.
