The Jaguar F Type, in pre-production camouflage

Jaguar’s history is tied to sports cars, something the British automaker hasn’t really built in the past few decades. That’s about to change with the introduction of the new F-Type, scheduled to hit the market in the middle of next year. Designed as a driver’s car and coming first in roadster form, the F-Type will be powered by a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 good for 380 horsepower, and there’s even talk of a V-8 for range-topping models.

As you can hear in the video above, no audio system will be necessary (although we’re sure Jaguar will include one). When wound out, the forced-induction six sounds impressive, and we’d be happy listening to that sound all day long. The car looks good, too (despite the camouflage), and the development prototype certainly seems to handle well enough.

The big mystery remaining is the price. The F-Type will do battle with cars like the Porsche Boxster, which starts at about $50,00, and the BMW Z4, which begins at about $49,500. If Jaguar can keep the price in the same ballpark for a car with more power and balanced handling, we have no doubt that the F-Type will prove to be the hit that Jaguar needs. Better yet, it has the potential of luring new buyers into the fold, ensuring that the brand from Coventry has a long future ahead of it.