Driving The French Riviera To Celebrate 75 Years Of Jaguar Sports Cars
If you ask many of my girlfriends - as we grew up in the Michelle Rodriguez era, coveting fast cars, drifting, muscle Marys, strong women and the freedom to travel just about anywhere - the aspiration was always to graduate from first timer Nissan Micras, through the SUVs of our parenting years, all the way up to land, eventually, on a Jaguar F-type.
The American film franchise of our youths might have been stacked full of Dodge Challengers and Vipers which are, yes, both fast and furious, but for us, the Jaguar F-type had it all. Speed and power, but also British heritage and elegance.
Cut to 2023 and, as some of us are actually edging closer to sports car ownership, but staring down the barrel of a proposal from the government to end the sale of combustion engine cars by 2030, Jaguar have announced that this is the final year of new model production for the F-type.
A devastating blow for our long-held aspirations, maybe, but a sign, of course, that exciting new things are to come from the brand instead. In celebration of 75 years of Jaguar sports cars and as a beautiful swan song for new model F-Types, a number of us embarked on a two day drive from Nice, through Monte-Carlo, Monaco and over to the Cap D'Antibes, to reacquaint ourselves with the noblesse of this British machine.
A drive to do in an F-Type 75 convertible (on day one) and an F-Type R 75 special edition coupé (on day two), for sure, but one that's also worth doing regardless, for the route holds among the most stunning views of Europe's various coastlines, as well as some of the best (literally voted the best restaurant in the world in 2019) food, in the shape of Mirazur restaurant, on the cliffs of Menton.
Nestled into a crook of the rockface along the Côte D'Azur, Mirazur's Argentinian genius Mauro Colagreco has created a foodie fortress, revelling in the natural produce of the area, pushing simple plants and flowers to the extent of their gifts. As Mirazur puts it: 'A gastronomic journey to discover the essence and vital force of each day according to the biodynamic calendar.' Imagine a chessboard of nasturtium leaves and ponzu droplets forming the lid to a tuna tartar, or melt-in-the-mouth stracciatella hidden under an armadillo's back of thin celtus sheaths. A dining experience like no other.
Driving via Roquebrune-Cap-Martin to wind your way through Monte-Carlo is a must-do at least once in your lifetime. The famous Casino and Palais Des Princes have formed the backdrop to so many films, it would be rude not to lay your eyes on them IRL.
But if there's one thing you're inclined to save up for, the superlative road trip along the French shoreline couldn't be complete without a night in The Maybourne Riviera. Standing proud on a belt of jutting bluff, up a gorgeous, steep drive to its position 1,500 feet above the glistening sea, this eye-catching piece of modernist architecture is the talk of the area and rooms are almost as covetable as the F-Type. To get a spot in the hotel, prepare to book seriously far in advance.
To really see what the F-Type R 5.0 litre V8 engine can do, the road back down past Monaco, round Nice and over to the Cap D'Antibes offers a few opportunities to put your foot down. Visit the Atelier du Parfumeur, a landmark of France's scent-famous Grasse region, and stop for lunch at Maison Bacon, which happens to be a stone's throw from the white sands of Plage de la Salis. Before making the choice between continuing on to Cannes, or heading back home again.
The roar of the engine, the wind in your ears, the twinkle of sun-capped cresting waves, the sneaking sensation that possibly nothing beats the open road in a classic petrol car, this is certainly a drive to do in the next couple of years, before the motoring landscape changes forever. And yet, with stalwart British heritage brands like Jaguar making the move to electric, it's a sign of intriguing times to come. As budgets pivot completely, investing in electric technology, it won't be long before the next generation's speed-thirsty youngsters set their ambitions on BEVs instead.
Experience the final model year of F-Type, including the F-Type 75 and F-Type R 75 special editions, before Jaguar becomes a purely electric modern luxury brand from 2025.
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