Jaguar F-type on the world's greatest driving road
evo goes in search of the world's best driving road, starting with a Jaguar F-type on the Transfagarasan highway in Romania. Video here
Romania’s Transfagarasan Pass has been labeled as the best driving world in the road, especially since three gentlemen proclaimed so on their popular ‘entertainment show’. But taking Jaguar’s most potent F-type Convertible through to the southern side of the Carpathian Mountains, evo’s Henry Catchpole believes he’s found an even better section of Romanian driving heaven. It’s called the Transalpina Pass.
Winding its way through valleys and up to 2145 metres – a height not reached by any other Romanian passage – the Transalpina Pass brings breathtaking views of tree-lined mountains together with technical driving challenges, allowing the 5-litre F-type V8 S to tear its way along the seemingly untouched tarmac ribbon that locals call ‘The King’s Road’.
In our video above, the Jag makes the perfect companion its popping and crackling 8-cylinder orchestra echoing across the pass’s curving valleys, its 488bhp and 461lb ft making easy work of lighting up the £79,985 soft-top’s rear tyres.
Sprinting from 0-60 in just 4.3sec and onto a top speed of 186mph, the V8 S might not seem like the most appropriate choice for such a winding road. But with the sharpest steering rack ever fitted to a Jag and all round double-wishbone suspension, the beefiest F-type Convertible deals with rained sprinkled stretches and pothole-ridden villages without any qualms.
Rivals such as the Porsche 911 and Audi R8 ensure the Jaguar F-type V8 S is up against some seriously stern competition. But possessing such gorgeous curves and an unmistakably characterful V8, on roads like this we can’t imagine there’d be many better sports cars to point at the Romanian mountains.
Henry reckons parts of the Transalpina are surfaced to a higher standard than the Nurburgring, thanks to its ultra smooth surface and astonishingly beautiful sights. What do you think? Have we found the best driving road in the world? Watch our video feature above to experience the magic that is Transalpina Pass, and use the YouTube comments box to nominate your own favourite roads.
