Jaguar’s bold Type 01 makes its UK dynamic debut at Festival of Speed

09th July 2026

Adam Wilkins

There’s a feeling that the dust has settled since Jaguar revealed the Type 00 concept at the tail end of 2024. By the time it was shown at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, it had enjoyed at least a little more acceptance from a British public that really cares about the Coventry marque.

Now we have the Type 01 making its UK dynamic debut at the 2026 Festival of Speed. This is the production car that comes from the concept, and it’s making one of just three public appearances ahead of the full reveal due to take place in October.

The Type 01 is wearing its lightest disguise yet, giving FOS-goers the chance to see more closely than ever how the car will look when it appears in showrooms. We already know it will have a long bonnet, low roof and proportions that are full of drama. Jaguar calls it a ‘fearless commitment to originality.’

In contrast to the Type 00’s online launch, which seemed to distance itself from Jaguar’s rich heritage, the Type 01 is being displayed alongside three models that express the ‘spirit of Jaguar.’ That select group includes the E-type, XJS and XJC.

The two sportscars make obvious sense given the long-bonnet proportions that have been resurrected for the Type 01. The three-box XJC is less apparent, but it is the car the dynamics team, led by Matt Becker, honed in on when defining the dynamic characteristics of the new grand tourer.

It’s remarkable how quickly the controversy around Jaguar’s new direction has waned. We now live in a world that has witnessed the even more controversial Ferrari Luca, so perhaps the Coventry car doesn’t look quite so ‘out there’ as it did a year and a half ago.

The acknowledgement of the Jaguar back catalogue is more than welcome too, and sets the Type 01 in a context that fits with the marque’s rich heritage.

We’ll have to be patient for more details of what’s going on under the skin of the Type 01, but watching it in motion on the Hill has given us our clearest view yet of how the fastback saloon will look when it reaches the roads.