It follows the classic sports car formula of rear-wheel drive and an engine at the front.
It will have a three-strong engine line-up; two V6s and a V8. The entry-level will give a 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds while the V8 engine in the S specification will hit 100km/h in 4.5 seconds. These are all mere numbers, says Clarke, explaining that 0-100km/h times have almost become meaningless for modern performance cars.
"It's all about how you deploy that power," he adds as he squirts the V6 S we're in out of a damp Welsh bend.
As far as I can tell from the passenger seat, that power is laid down well and with precision.
The ride is firm as a sports car should be, but it isn't overly tough. Thankfully the engineers at Jaguar haven't fallen for the trap of tuning it for Nurburgring - Germany's road circuit so loved by sports manufactures - but have instead done much of the development work on the broken and challenging roads of North Wales.
Clarke and I follow the route of the so-called Evo Triangle - a route made famous by the motoring magazine Evo's performance car testing. They are tough roads with tight bends, hairpins and fast straights and the F-Type acquits itself well in both the V6 and V8 form, but by the sweet note of the smaller engine it sounds like the V6 S will be the sweet spot of power, sound and affordability in the F-Type engine range.
I finish up in the passenger seat with Jaguar chief engineer Mike Cross behind the wheel. "It's important that a car drives like it looks," he says.
The F-Type certainly looks great and by early indications, it feels like it will handle well. Watch this space to find out more in April.
The Jaguar F-Type is expected in New Zealand mid-year with price to be confirmed closer to the date.
-Independent