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Jaguar F-Type - under the skin
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Jaguar F-Type - under the skin
Matt Hubbard
Speedmonkey
July 25, 2013
Jaguar have sold 1,000 F-Types to date. The car is made from aluminium sections joined together by rivets and glue at the factory in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham.
Aluminium is 40% lighter than steel and is formed into sections which are then pieced together to make the F-Type and its sibling, the XK. Each F-Type uses 1,100 aluminium sections and takes 36 hours to build - although the entire dashboard is installed in 40 seconds.
Interestingly the rivets used don't penetrate through both surfaces, but stop short of pushing through the second layer, so as to prevent water ingress. The glue used is stronger than a weld.
3,500 employees work in the factory that makes both the XK and F-Type, and which has a capacity of 430 cars per week. Some machines are used for forming the sections and riveting but a lot of the car is hand built. Jaguar project that more than 75% of the factory's output will be F-Types.
This cutaway F-Type was on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. You can see how the panels are formed and pieced together to make the chassis and body as one.
