West Sussex, UK, June 30 (IBNS) The development programme of automobile major Jaguar’s forthcoming F-TYPE sports car stepped up a gear as the model made its global public debut at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed at Goodwood Estate, Chichester in West Sussex.

Driven up the challenging hill by Jaguar’s Head of Vehicle Integrity, Mike Cross, the all-aluminium F-TYPE – a Supercharged V6 example ­– ran with its hood down for the first time in public view.

Mike said: “The F-TYPE will deliver a driver-focused sports car experience, and camouflaged prototypes like this one are currently being tested all over the world.

"The development programme is right on schedule, and coming here today to showcase just a little of the dynamic precision, noise, speed and excitement that the production F-TYPE will exhibit is very satisfying. The reaction of the crowd has been fantastic – I’d like to keep running it up the hill all day!”

With special dispensation from the Goodwood organisers, one of the F-TYPE’s runs saw it blast up the hill immediately after C-type, D-type and E-type models, giving spectators a unique opportunity to view both Jaguar’s historic sporting bloodline, and its future one, at high speed.

Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar Cars, said: “When we announced the F-TYPE’s development at New York in April of this year, we were delighted with the positive reaction from the press and public alike.

"The F-TYPE will be a true sports car, so to be able to give the fans here at Goodwood a first-hand flavour of the sight and sound of Jaguar’s exciting future is a great privilege.”

Announced earlier in 2012, the F-TYPE will be a two-seater sports car powered by both supercharged V6 and supercharged V8 engines and will be launched in convertible form.

The full production F-TYPE range will be revealed later this year.