Bosch European Motors

It's probably a step beyond the F-Type that any of us could live with every day. That doesn't intrude on what it is鈥攁 fearless middle finger at the future of cars, with a leering eye at their past. The F-Type has hacked its way through the sports car jungle since it was new in 2014. It's taken a couple of years for Jaguar to flesh out the lineup. In three model years, the convertible has been joined by a coupe, then an awesome F-Type Coupe R edition, then manual-shift and all-wheel-drive editions. Now Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 Special Vehicle Operations gets a crack at it, and in the process, neatly sums up what the F-Type is all about with the SVR. It's the first of the brand's aluminum-hulled sports cars to hit a claimed 200 mph. I didn't quite reach that epic milestone, but at Spain's Motorland Aragon circuit, with a pro co-pilot and two passes, I saw 175 mph indicated, and it wasn't even the trickiest part of the day.

Motorland's an unforgiving place. Sharp off-camber bends whip into steep descents, the bus stop recreates the feeling of being run over by an actual bus. Oh, and then, the longest, most tempting reaches dump you right into a second-gear hairpin. The SVR nailed those passages down as flat as it possibly could, with a wicked rasp and haymakers of oversteer. SVO starts with the Coupe R configuration, then tweaks everything to push the F-Type SVR to a frontier shared with the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT and Porsche 911 Turbo. The Jaguar dumps in more power, all-wheel drive, enhanced aero bits, dynamic upgrades, and some subtle cues to give fair warning鈥攖he SVR recipe from here forward. For power, the F-Type SVR taps Jaguar鈥檚 supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 for higher output rated at 575 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The 8-speed automatic gets even faster shift speeds (no, the SVR doesn't have a manual), and the all-wheel-drive system has more radical settings for shifting power from the rear to the front, and for coordinating power between the rear wheels. Jaguar says the SVR coupe rockets to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, with convertibles taking a couple of ticks longer.

Top speed is 200 mph for the coupe and 195 mph for the roadster. Along with the power boost, the SVR has its own programming for shift points, steering, stability control, and suspension damping. Its pushiest driving mode dramatically lifts the yaw limits for the all-wheel-drive and stability control systems, which can be turned off completely. Hardware upgrades include a front roll bar that's 5 percent softer; the rear bar's mildly stiffer too. The 20-inch wheels trim some weight and hide some stiffer knuckles at the rear. A new titanium-alloy exhaust system cuts weight and puts the SVR on a two-pack-a-day voice lessons. 12,000 carbon-ceramic brakes and swap in pricey carbon-fiber pieces for the roof and chin spoiler and the SVR is down about 110 pounds. Finally, at its feet, the SVR wears custom Pirelli P Zero tires; 265/35ZR-20s in front and 305/30ZR-20s at the back. Those treads are in charge of knowing when the SVR needs to let all holy hell break loose鈥攚hich it does often, and easily, when provoked.

Outside of Barcelona, Spain opens up into a lacy network of roads, most of them built after union with Europe. Handsomely paved superhighways, pristine secondary roads鈥攊t's what California could have been with better upkeep. The F-Type likes a careful set of hands on the controls, even here. The toggle on the console suggests what's about to happen in iconic forms. There's a very special snowflake for that kind of weather. At the opposite end of the toggle, there's a checkered flag for other special moments when you'll want to twiddle with its adaptive dampers, shift timing, throttle progression, and steering feel. Let it alone when trundling through charming and eerily quiet towns. Without touching a thing, the SVR's snaps, crackles, and pops of overrun draw stares. Some approving, some not. The SVR's more supple than expected, even on roads that are wrapping around stone houses, winding up through canyon passes that could double for Ortega Highway.

Jaguar's preserved the ability of its adaptive dampers to adapt to street driving, more than can be said for a GT350. The carbon-ceramic brakes don't grab or squeak, but they don't have much travel or nuance, either. The steering forces attention. It darts and sniffs out corners while the suspension takes more of a wait-and-see attitude. A Coupe R is no luxury liner, but by contrast, it's a better at mundane stuff like trolling through traffic. Roll up into Motorland's paddock, then roll out of the pits, and the SVR begs you to let that checkered-flag switch drop. Egos flicker to life, and head socks turn us all into an militia of petty thieves as we helmet up for a run at 200 mph. Phones go into silent mode and so do drivers. The SVR's body is riveted and glued, which is the same way to describe the attention Motorland begs to be paid. Apexes spring up like unwhacked moles, braking points shake you by the collar. It's one manic Mobius strip.