It seems we know all there is to know about the upcoming Jaguar F-Type roadster. Unlike Jaguars of recent years (excluding the surprisingly hard-edged XKR-S), it will be focused more on handling than on luxury. It will come with a choice of three supercharged engines, including two V-6s and a V-8.

It will debut in near-production form at next month’s Paris Auto Show, before going on sale in time for summer 2013. While the roadster will be the initial F-Type car released, a coupe version is expected to follow in 2014.

Given that the F-Type’s output will range from 335 horsepower to around 450 horsepower, it will be a competitor to a surprising number of cars. Layout will strictly be front-engine, rear drive, and it looks like an eight-speed, paddle-shifted automatic will be the sole choice of transmissions.

Ensuring that weight, the enemy of performance, is kept to a minimum, the body will be made of aluminum. The chassis is designed to be as light as possible, while still retaining the structural rigidity necessary to provide superior handling.

Since we can’t tell you much else about the F-Type until Jaguar debuts it next month, we’ll deliver you this video of the car at speed instead. We’re already in love with its exhaust note, and we’re eagerly awaiting our turn behind the wheel.

Jaguar has been producing some surprising cars of late, and the new F-Type certainly has the potential of growing the luxury automaker’s business. It’s ironic, then, that the path to Jaguar’s future begins with a trip to the past, when lightweight sports cars defined the Coventry automaker.