Jaguar’s upcoming F-Type roadster is the marque’s first attempt at building a no-compromise sports car in over 50 years. To call the car significant is an understatement, as it has the potential of pirating buyers away from brands like Porsche and BMW.

Based on the C-X16 Concept, Jaguar sees the F-Type not as an homage to models of the past, but rather a roadmap of where Jaguar intends to go in the future. In fact, Jaguar’s global brand director, Adrian Hallmark, calls the car, “the symbol of our future.”

A bold statement, to be sure, but one backed by Jaguar’s design director, Ian Callum. Of the F-Type, Callum says, “We can afford to be as fearless as we want with this car. This is our car, and our time.”

Just in case that statement isn’t brave enough, Callum asserts that the F-Type will be, “one of the most significant sports cars of this decade and this century.”  Given how much progress Porsche has made with its new Boxster, that’s setting the bar high.

Are Callum’s statements just marketing rhetoric, put forth to generate interest in the product before it hits the market? Perhaps, but if the slightly-over-the-top 2012 Jaguar XKR-S is any indication, the Coventry-based brand is serious about building performance cars and restoring its name among enthusiasts.

We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Jaguar products we’ve driven in the past year, so we can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the F-Type. If the car’s half as good as Jaguar says it is, it will still be spectacular.