In the Jaguar Land Rover showroom, the 2024 Jaguar F-Type R is an anomaly. It’s a dinosaur, a relic of a fast-fading age of speed, steel, sex and internal combustion engines powered by fossil fuel. And yet, that era is still very much with us despite various governments’ attempts to change it. These beasts won’t go without a final fierce roar of glory, a definitive deafening howl that seeks to commemorate their place in enthusiasts’ hearts.

And so we have a new car the closes a chapter, one that’s lasted 75 years. For 2024, we have the last gas-burning Jaguar two-door sports car, the 2024 Jaguar F-Type R.

Its sleek curves speak of sports car classicism, a form that is enduringly appealing, indulgent and essential. This fine feline is living the last of its nine lives, as production is expected to end in June, along with the XF sedan. By year’s end, the E-Pace, F-Pace and I-Pace are reported to be ending production as well.

That’s when Jaguar begins its transformation as an all-electric with the launch of a four-door GT, followed sometime thereafter by a luxury SUV and a large sedan. If you noticed the lack of a sports car, well, it won’t be the first time in the brand’s history. Certainly, the new cars will discard the remaining long-held design cues that still shackle Jaguar designers. But the timing seems apropos, arriving in vehicles powered by electrons rather than a carbon compound made over a millennia from compressed algae, bacteria and plants.

And there is no doubt these vehicles will be alluring in the finest Jaguar tradition. After all, company founder Sir William Lyons thought nothing of abandoning a design motif if it meant coming out with something fresher and more exciting. There’s little in the 1961 Jaguar E-Type that resembles the 1960 Jaguar XK-150 it replaced.

Still, the forthcoming Jaguars won’t be the same, making the F-Type such an essential purchase, a rarified breed soon to see extinction. Its presence in Jaguar showrooms speaks to a pedigree that stretches back to the classic XK120.

For 2024, there are three F-Type trim levels, the rear-wheel-drive F-Type P450 R-Dynamic as well as the all-wheel-drive F-Type P450 75 and F-Type P575 R 75, the latter pair commemorating 75 years of Jaguar’s sports car heritage. All 2024 Jaguar F-Types come with a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine, rated at 450 horsepower in the P450 and 575 horsepower in the P575. Both coupe and convertible body styles are offered on all trims. For its final outing, the F-Type is fitted with a Black Exterior Pack, Blind Spot Assist, two-zone climate control, and a heated steering wheel as standard equipment.

We tested a F-Type P575 R 75 convertible, or drophead coupe, if you prefer. It was finished in Giola Green, a $950 option and exclusive to the 75 models. It’s easily skippable if you have the choice, as it’s far from fetching. Other options included a $2,550 extended leather upgrade and $100 Nubuck-edged floor mats. All in, it totaled just shy of $120,000.

For that money, you can buy a quicker sports car, but this car is more than its numbers.

After all, the convertible’s trunk is only roomy enough to carry second thoughts. And the cabin is sports car snug, with little storage space for anything aside from a toothbrush and condoms. But it’s true to its mission, one where performance is the priority.

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