A trip to Lake Garda is nothing new at all for many southern Germans. On the contrary. The trip over the Brenner motorway is almost like an annual ritual. Some would call it “essential”. Although we wouldn’t go that far, exactly these 380 kilometres between our office in Munich and Riva del Garda are the perfect opportunity to gather experiences and impressions of vehicles. It’s Friday noon when I look at the editorial schedule and read “Farewell trip with the Jaguar F-Type”. A small note enclosed “vehicle already delivered”.

A farewell that is not quiet at all.

After around 12 years, Jaguar has decided to phase out its F-Type at the end of this year. From the end of 2025, the manufacturer will only bring electric models onto the market. Time to say goodbye to the 575 hp V8 engine, the eight-speed automatic and a sound that turns out to be the enemy of the Italian siesta.

In our case, the F-Type R75 P575 Convertible is available, which is one of two anniversary models. Jaguar is looking back on 75 years of sports cars this year. Starting with the XK120 via the legendary E-Type to the F-Type. Now the special editions F-Type 75 and F-Type R75 celebrate the iconic sports cars from Coventry with their supercharged V8 engines.

Self-confidently, I reach for the key to the open-top Brit and say goodbye to the long weekend. Envious looks are to be taken from colleagues in the office. For me, the first leg of the journey is to Innsbruck, some 160 kilometres on congested motorways out of the Bavarian capital towards the Austrian Alps. The F-Type quickly proves itself to be a comfortable cruiser and even the visually beautiful bucket seats feel thoroughly comfortable during the 3 hours or so. Short acceleration phases already indicate how powerful the supercharged V8 on the front axle can be. However, the heavy evening and weekend traffic prevents me from feeling all the power. Arrived in Innsbruck, after a short car wash, it is already bedtime. 6 hours of sleep will have to do.

The F-icing on the cake

The fact that the alarm clock rings at 5 a.m. doesn’t bother us much that morning. The anticipation of the first pass road on our agenda for sunrise is too great. The pass is called “Penser Joch” and takes us up to over 2200 metres above sea level. After the obligatory drive over the Brenner motorway, we reach the ascent in Sterzing to the Penser Joch at around 06:30. Quickly we open the roof and about 8 seconds later we start to climb the 1300 metres in altitude. The partly long curves are made for the British car and even in narrow hairpin bends the four-wheel drive drives the F-Type towards the top of the pass. The distribution is designed to be rather oversteering, and so the rear of the F-Type sometimes dances a little out of the exit of the bend, especially when the tyres are cold. This results in great driving pleasure without having to fear losing the car. A constant companion in dynamic mode is the screaming of the 4-pipe exhaust system.

“On the way to 6,500 revs, the volume increases exponentially.”

From 3750 revs, the screaming starts and transforms the cosy cruiser into a storybook V8 symphony. When changing to the next gear, the British engine roars cheekily behind it – the icing on the cake. Or should we say the icing on the cake?

At 06:58 we reach the house of the Alpenrosenhof at the top of the pass, exactly 15 minutes before the sun rises behind the mountains of South Tyrol. Enough time to find a suitable photo location and enjoy the sunrise.

On that October morning, we are almost alone on the pass, with only a few Italian delivery trucks coming towards us, followed shortly by a driver of an Alpine A110. The mutual gesture of the thumb confirms that our early rising was worthwhile.

Shortly afterwards, the drive downhill towards Bolzano follows. I switch the chassis, steering and exhaust back to the comfortable, quiet setting to enjoy the impressive landscape of South Tyrol over the 50 kilometres, with the roof open, of course. It’s 10 a.m. sharp when the order for 2 cappuccinos and 2 Crossaints crosses the counter in Bolzano. A short walk through the capital of South Tyrol is also included before the Jaguar’s snout moves further south.

After a short drive on the Autostrada 22, we decide to leave it again in Trento. Because in the surrounding mountains there are apparently villages whose location suggests that exciting roads must lead there. At the roundabout outside Trento, we take the third exit towards Vason and are immediately rewarded with beautiful roads.

The sound of the British car as we pass the small mountain villages is burned into our minds for ever – colliding there with the question of whether we can still expect these emotions from Jaguar in 2025. A few bends later, however, our thoughts gradually drift away, we shape our destination on Lake Garda more precisely and select a pizzeria. Our driving time is now 25 minutes. After a leisurely drive through the Trento mountains and along the shore of Lake Garda, we reach our pizzeria.

A nice side effect is the view from the terrace over the F-Type to Lake Garda. Time to recapitulate the last 8 hours over a Pizza Capriciosa and a can of Lemon Soda. Without question: the sound of the British car is unmistakable and was probably a reason for many customers to buy in the past. But on the last 380 kilometres, a feeling has developed that is so difficult to put into words. It is a mix of the powerful V8, the British elegance, the perfectly functioning automatic and, of course, the characteristic sound that makes the F-Type a car for absolute connoisseurs.

With its price of 141,000€, the F-Type R75 P575 is not cheap. Those who don’t want to spend quite so much money still have until December 2023 to opt for the 4-cylinder version, which is already available from €72,100.

As the sun sets behind the Italian Alps shortly before 7 p.m., it is time for us to return to Munich as quickly as possible. We have just under 5 hours left to say goodbye to the Jaguar F-Type. At least to our test vehicle, because we are sure that we will encounter the British sports car many more times, perhaps on the very route between Munich and Riva del Garda.

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Jaguar F-Type R75 P575

Engine: 5L V8 supercarger Power: 423 kW (575 PS) @6,500 rpm Weight: 1865 kilogram Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 3.7 s Vmax: 300 km/h Max.