Armand Kriel (21) is the second resident in the Krugersdorp News’ Wheels of the West Rand series and introduced one of the United Kingdom’s most iconic cars – a 2016 Jaguar F-Type S, British edition.
Armand said that his car is rarer than the regular F-Type. He continued that this edition has small details that make it stand out from the regular version, including different bumpers, a sportier exhaust and minor interior details, like different coloured seatbelts and shifting paddles.
“I chose the Jaguar above its competitors because it is the perfect balance between class and performance. A Jag is a lifestyle, and nothing can change my mind,” Armand said.
He added that his favourite characteristic of the car is its sleek engineering and that if he could choose a realistic dream car, it would be the F-Type SVR. He continued that one of his favourite things is to drag race at the local racing strip, where he claims he wins around 85% of the races he takes part in.
“Being part of the local car community is the best. I try my best to attend local car meets and interact with like-minded petrolheads,” Armand said.
The News wanted to find out more about this car, and the only proper way to do so was to take it out on the road.
“The 3.0 litre, supercharged V6 takes it from 0-96km/h in 4.6 seconds, with an exhaust note that will keep the neighbours complaining until the end of time. There is an eco setting for the exhaust to tone it down as other motorists might think there is an industrial popcorn machine on the go next to them,” journalist Heinrich Greyling said.
He mentions that the throttle is light, with only a bit of pressure needed to make it shoot like a rabbit.
“The rear end of the car wants to let go and slide out underneath you. Driving a British sports car is fun and all, until you need to go over a speedbump. This will have you turning the wheel left to right constantly over them to avoid scratching the bumper.
“The interior has a bunch of bells and whistles, with all the necessary technology you can expect on a car like this, including different driving modes, lighting that changes and a beautiful interior. All of this comes with the drawback of a boot no bigger than a backpack.”
Armand concluded that the F-Type has recently been discontinued and that this car will go down in the books as the modern equivalent of the legendary E-Type.
