RE: Jaguar reveals F-Type convertible rally special

[jl34]

That looks mega fun! I did a skid pan and drift course in my F type V8 convertible and it had beautiful balance beyond the limit. God I miss that car

[fergiejames]

Tedious motorsport link, pointless marketing stunt, should be on this list:

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/motorsport/top-ni...

[Whatsmyname]

Bet it won't be able to jump the dole queue.

[ArnageWRC]

Ah another rallying based thread, and the same comments crop up:

Modern WRC isn't very good/ rubbish/ GpB was better, bring back Homologation specials.....

WRC fans replies; the WRC is the most exciting motorsport on earth, the cars are fantastic, do you watch modern WRC?

Rinse & repeat.

[unpc]

ArnageWRC said:

Ah another rallying based thread, and the same comments crop up:

Modern WRC isn't very good/ rubbish/ GpB was better, bring back Homologation specials.....

WRC fans replies; the WRC is the most exciting motorsport on earth, the cars are fantastic, do you watch modern WRC?

Rinse & repeat.

Yes I've tried to watch it many times but it leaves me cold these days. To be fair, it's not just the cars that are the problem. The formats of the rallies are very samey and supposedly TV friendly but end up being anything but. Events like the East African ought to make a come back IMO.

Anyhoo I agree about these threads...

[300bhp/ton]

unpc said:

ArnageWRC said:

Ah another rallying based thread, and the same comments crop up:

Modern WRC isn't very good/ rubbish/ GpB was better, bring back Homologation specials.....

WRC fans replies; the WRC is the most exciting motorsport on earth, the cars are fantastic, do you watch modern WRC?

Rinse & repeat.

Yes I've tried to watch it many times but it leaves me cold these days. To be fair, it's not just the cars that are the problem. The formats of the rallies are very samey and supposedly TV friendly but end up being anything but. Events like the East African ought to make a come back IMO.

Anyhoo I agree about these threads...

+1 on all points.

[ProCo2020]

Dan, as a rally man (mud snow and tar anyone ) I'm surprised you didn't know about Jaguars rallying history.

Also not sure you need a roof on a rally car either, not seen one recently on MSA (Motorsport UK) events but I do remember a Caterham 7 doing single venue rallies a few years ago and I do also remember seeing a Mustang Convertible rallying on long distance events.

I think a roof is good idea though as it keeps the outside, outside and body parts inside when it all goes wrong.

Good bit of fun PR from Jaguar though, probably a bit heavy to join the GT rally class on some FIA events.

Now lets have more rallying, has Chris still got the 325 that you could drag out and do Brands again in?

[Kawasicki]

Great pictures. Aggressive driving. Leaping cat. Me like.

[RyanTank]

ArnageWRC said:

Ah another rallying based thread, and the same comments crop up:

Modern WRC isn't very good/ rubbish/ GpB was better, bring back Homologation specials.....

WRC fans replies; the WRC is the most exciting motorsport on earth, the cars are fantastic, do you watch modern WRC?

Rinse & repeat.

And to my earlier point. Group B gave us some of the craziest cars ever to grace motorsport. Cars accelerating faster on gravel than anything on road or track at the same time.
Those very cars were in fact based on boring shopping hatchbacks.
Peugeot 205
Austin Metro
Renault 5

Modern rallying is anything other than boring, the championship is closer than anything has been in years. I will concede the TV package is dire, but a single YouTube search for WRC will show much better fan cam action than any of the big broadcasters will muster together.
To truly appreciate modern rallying it must be experienced live, something that is always lacking in the people harping on about how dull and stale it is as they haven’t watched it in decades. Pull on a bobble hat and go watch some before writing it off!!

[alec.e]

Am I the only one who hates spotlight pods on bonnets, just look terrible to me?

[ProCo2020]

alec.e said:

Am I the only one who hates spotlight pods on bonnets, just look terrible to me?

Yep you are the only one.

[Mackofthejungle]

Quite like it, and I wish manufacturers would offer proper rally inspired cars for the road. God knows our roads are far more closely related to rally stages than they are race tracks.. I'd love a road car that I didn't need to worry about potholes, speed bumps, and kerbs.

One thing I utterly hate though, to the point that I just think "ahole" every time I hear it, is when someone refers to a car as (for example) "F-Type" instead of "an F-Type" or "the F-Type". It just sounds like marketing toss. I don't drive Panda. I drive A Panda.

[300bhp/ton]

RyanTank said:

And to my earlier point. Group B gave us some of the craziest cars ever to grace motorsport. Cars accelerating faster on gravel than anything on road or track at the same time.
Those very cars were in fact based on boring shopping hatchbacks.
Peugeot 205
Austin Metro
Renault 5

Modern rallying is anything other than boring, the championship is closer than anything has been in years. I will concede the TV package is dire, but a single YouTube search for WRC will show much better fan cam action than any of the big broadcasters will muster together.
To truly appreciate modern rallying it must be experienced live, something that is always lacking in the people harping on about how dull and stale it is as they haven’t watched it in decades. Pull on a bobble hat and go watch some before writing it off!!

The Renault was 4wd which was the other part of the comment.

As for Group B. Lancia 037, Ford RS200, Audi Quattro, Opel Manta, Ferrari 308, Porsche 911, Mazda RX-7, Nissan 240RS. Just to name a few that aren’t hatchbacks.

As for rallying today. It saddens me to say it. But it’s just boring to watch, a boring format and dull cars. And seems to work particularly badly for TV. All the cars look and sound the same. One of the best thing with Group B was the variety of sounds and shapes.

I was at Castle Combe a couple of months back for the Rallyday. Lots of great cars. But the new stuff still leaves me cold.

And as someone else mentioned they just lack that connection. There where huge gatherings and displays of owner groups at the event. Obvious ones like Imprezas, Evos and fast Fords. But also Chevettes and even Sunbeams.

There is nothing to relate too with modern rallycars. You can’t buy into a brand and be a wannabe rally driver on the way to an event or even work.

[GravelBen]

300bhp/ton said:

As for rallying today. It saddens me to say it. But it’s just boring to watch, a boring format and dull cars. And seems to work particularly badly for TV. All the cars look and sound the same. One of the best thing with Group B was the variety of sounds and shapes.

How long has it been since you actually watched WRC? The 2017-current cars are the most exciting WRC has been since the 90s, not just mental speed but plenty of noise and sideways action too.

I agree with you that the format is too one-size-forced-to-fit-all repetitive, and that more variety and connection to road cars would be good - but watching the current breed in action is really anything but dull.

[ProCo2020]

Renault 5 was 2WD, mid engine RWD.

[Rindergulasch]

Outright stupid to do this with the convertible version, the dust will be in every nook and cranny as well as in your eyes, mouth etc. - why didn't they do this with the coupe version?

[Griffithy]

Rindergulasch said:

Outright stupid to do this with the convertible version, the dust will be in every nook and cranny as well as in your eyes, mouth etc. - why didn't they do this with the coupe version?

I guess they do it in reminiscence and celebration of the XK120s 70 years ago, which were open top at the time.
NUB 120 was white and open top for example.

Should have choosen a 6 pot rwd though.

Edited by Griffithy on Tuesday 13th November 08:43

[Turbobanana]

Rindergulasch said:

Outright stupid to do this with the convertible version, the dust will be in every nook and cranny as well as in your eyes, mouth etc. - why didn't they do this with the coupe version?

You really missed the connection with NUB120, didn't you?

On a side note, it's interesting to read the comments relating to the perceived inconvenience and lack of safety that comes with not having a roof. Check out that XK120 which not only has no roof, it also has no roll bar, seat belts, power steering or driver aids. And it was driven for hours on end, through the night, in all weathers. We don't know how lucky we are etc...

[aeropilot]

RyanTank said:

And to my earlier point. Group B gave us some of the craziest cars ever to grace motorsport. Cars accelerating faster on gravel than anything on road or track at the same time.
Those very cars were in fact based on boring shopping hatchbacks.
Peugeot 205
Austin Metro
Renault 5

Modern rallying is anything other than boring, the championship is closer than anything has been in years. I will concede the TV package is dire, but a single YouTube search for WRC will show much better fan cam action than any of the big broadcasters will muster together.
To truly appreciate modern rallying it must be experienced live, something that is always lacking in the people harping on about how dull and stale it is as they haven’t watched it in decades. Pull on a bobble hat and go watch some before writing it off!!

I think you're missing the point....of what rallying was (before Grp B) and what it then became as a result of the demise of Grp.B and why us old farts bemoan the demise of proper rallying. For a start it's not a bleedin spectator sport, or TV sport......it's not about putting a bobble hat on and going to watch, its about putting a helmet on, getting in a car and doing it....!
The element of endurance, navigation, as well as thrashing through a dark forest at 2am is long gone.....let alone as someone else mentioned, the challenge of the likes of the Safari Rally. The WRC today is far too removed from club level competition, and that's why it's crap.

[Jon_S_Rally]

aeropilot said:

I think you're missing the point....of what rallying was (before Grp B) and what it then became as a result of the demise of Grp.B and why us old farts bemoan the demise of proper rallying. For a start it's not a bleedin spectator sport, or TV sport......it's not about putting a bobble hat on and going to watch, its about putting a helmet on, getting in a car and doing it....!
The element of endurance, navigation, as well as thrashing through a dark forest at 2am is long gone.....let alone as someone else mentioned, the challenge of the likes of the Safari Rally. The WRC today is far too removed from club level competition, and that's why it's crap.

The thing is, if the WRC hadn't changed, it probably wouldn't exist at all. The old format was becoming unsustainable and manufacturers didn't want it anymore. Most rally fans would love to see long events, filled with homologation specials, but it just isn't going to happen. I am a massive fan of the Group A era. I would love if we could repeat it, but we can't. The current format is far from perfect, but I am just grateful that we, finally, have a series that is genuinely open and competitive, more so than it has been in years, decades even. And of course it's a spectator sport. If no one watched it, it wouldn't happen. Motorsport at the highest level has always been about publicity, even back to the likes of the XK120 mentioned in this article.

If you want to drive cars down the lanes in the middle of the night, you can still do that on road rallies. If you want to do stage events, it's still possible. You can even do WRC events if you have the money. Anyone can still put a helmet it on and try it. M-Sport will happily sell you a whole range of cars that you can compete in. Yes they're expensive, but let's not pretend that any old Joe could afford a Group 4 RS1800 either.

Outside of the WRC cars, I also think the "they don't look like road cars" argument is a bit thin. If you can't tell that a Fiesta R5 is a Fiesta, then you probably need a trip to the optician. Even the old Escorts and Chevettes were pretty far-removed from the cars you could buy in the showroom at the highest level. Also, how is an Escort or Chevette any less of a shopping car than a Fiesta or C3? I'm no fan of the modern class system; there's too much emphasis on 4WD, the cars are too expensive (especially the WRC cars) and there are no "proper" 2WD categories, but I think some are perhaps looking at "the good old days" through VERY rose-tinted spectacles.

Sadly though, as someone quite closely involved in the sport, the biggest problem isn't the cars, or the events, it's the attitude. Rallying is stuck in the past. It needs to let go of this obsession with past glories. The heritage of the sport is important, but it's also strangling it, because so many people don't seem to want to move with the times. Threads like this prove it.

Edited by Jon_S_Rally on Tuesday 13th November 09:42