Jaguar has been very savvy in building interest for it’s upcoming F-Type roadster. Images and video footage of the under-development sports car have been leaked on a fairly consistent basis, but few people outside of the development team had seen Jaguar’s newest cat stretch its legs in person.

That changed at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Jaguar ran an F-Type validation prototype up the Goodwood hill in the Supercar class. Although the car was still sporting its newsprint camouflage, the basic shape of the body is unmistakable (and undeniably Jaguaresque in styling). For a British automaker (even one with an Indian parent), there is no finer place to show your new wares than Goodwood.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the video is the F-Type’s engine note, which sounds sufficiently menacing and throaty. Judging from the quickly-countered oversteer, the automaker’s claim that the F-Type is “the most driver-focused Jaguar we’ve ever produced” seems to be right on the money.

The Jaguar F-Type is expected to make its market debut in 2013, powered by a supercharged V-6 engine good for some 380 horsepower. Rumor has it that a V-8 engine option will be offered in range-topping versions, allowing the F-Type to compete with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG.

Look for the undisguised roadster to make its auto show debut later this year, possibly at September’s Paris Auto Show.