Jaguar V-8 engine to rev for eternity in sound library
When Jaguar completes its transition to an all-EV brand, a famous part of the storied British brand’s heritage — the snarling exhaust tones from its high-performance engines — will fade into memory.
But Jaguar officials recently ensured that the sound of a Jaguar sports car engine will never completely disappear. Engineers at the company’s technical center in Gaydon, England, rolled a 2024 F-Type 75 sports car into a sound chamber and recorded the car’s 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 as it starts up and settles into a 600 rpm idle. Then they revved it up and recorded the car as it accelerated through the gears of its eight-speed transmission.
Two recordings of the F-Type, one lasting 30 seconds and the other 47 seconds, were delivered to the British Library in London where they will be preserved.
“We’re delighted to be able to preserve recordings of the F-Type V-8 engine for Jaguar enthusiasts and listeners around the world,” said Cheryl Tipp, the library’s curator of wildlife and environmental sounds. “As production of this engine comes to a close, this unique noise takes its place in the nation’s archive alongside other sounds that can no longer be heard today.”
The F-Type, introduced in 2013, ends production in December. The first of Jaguar’s electric vehicles , a four-door GT, arrives in 2025 and will take the brand upmarket into Bentley and Aston Martin six-figure pricing.