The last Jaguar V-8 will live forever—in a library

Nik Berg

31 July 2023

Jaguar

It won’t be long before every Jaguar will be powered by near-silent electricity, but the brand’s most glorious gas-guzzling legacy is to be saved forever—or at least the sound of it is.

Jaguar has recorded the roar of the very last F-Type 75 R and submitted it to the British Library in London to be stored where it will “enable people worldwide—and for all time—to enjoy the sounds of the last combustion-engine Jaguar sports car.”

The sounds of internal combustion excellence were captured in a semi-anechoic chamber at Jaguar’s Gaydon Engineering Center where the F-Type’s engine was originally tuned. Two recordings were created: one lasting 30 seconds and the other 47 seconds. Each captures the engine firing up with an emotive throttle blip, settling to a 600 rpm idle and then being sonically stretched throughout its rev range.

“Each time the F-Type accelerates, the valves in the exhaust system open to alter the exhaust gas routing and this releases the signature roar that is particular to the F-Type driving experience,” says Jaguar. “Listeners will hear the crisp upshifts and downshifts through the eight-speed Quickshift transmission, and the distinctive, hallmark crackles and pops on the overrun from its quad tailpipes, which are a key element of F-Type’s visceral, driver-focused character.”

The sounds of the F-Type will join other culturally-significant but no-longer-heard sounds in the library’s archive. Charles Richardson, senior sound engineer at Jaguar, says, “The sounds you experience driving the F-Type is something we want to be available for generations to come.”

Cheryl Tipp, the British Library’s curator of wildlife & environmental sounds, adds, “We’re delighted to be able to preserve recordings of the F-Type V-8 engine for Jaguar enthusiasts and listeners around the world. As production of this engine comes to a close, this unique noise takes its place in the nation’s archive alongside other sounds that can no longer be heard today.”

Article courtesy of Hagerty