2013 Jaguar F-Type retraces the tracks of its iconic ancestor

Trying to make lightning strike twice in the same spot can be dangerous business, much like calling any new car the spiritual successor to one of the most successful and beautiful roadsters ever built. With the 2013 Jaguar F-Type unveiled today in Paris, the British sports car maker dares to suggest it has finally revived the formula that created the E-Type roadsters of the 1960s, but with all the power and perks required to compete in the 21st century.

Since its purchase by India's Tata conglomerate in 2007, Jaguar and Land Rover have flourished, in part because the two companies have kept focused on British-designed and built vehicles while finally vanquishing the quality problems that have bedeviled their vehicles for decades. But since the demise of the E-Type in 1974, Jaguar has struggled to build a successful, smaller model; the X-Type forced on the company under Ford's ownership a decade ago became a rolling punchline.