After more than a decade in production, Jaguar's likeable F-type reaches the end of the road with the ZP Edition, and you'll forgive us for shedding a small tear at its demise.

We've always been a fan of the F-type here at RUSH, but we're also dabbing the tear ducts for a related reason - with a commitment to be all-electric by 2025, Jaguar has confirmed the F-type will be the firm's last ever petrol-powered sports car, bringing the curtain down on over 75 years of style and innovation. This is the brand that consistently pushed the supercar envelope with the XK120, XK150, XKSS, the XJ220 and XJR15. This is the brand that's won Le Mans seven times and gave us a long series of effortlessly cool getaway saloons. All that is before we even mention the E-type.

The only similarity the ZP Edition shares with some of the above is exclusivity - Jaguar is limiting production to just 150 coupes or convertibles, inspired by the successful racing E-types of 1961, which competed under the Project ZP banner. Out of that 150, just ten cars have been allocated to the UK market, and each one will carry a £30,000 premium over F-type R 75 upon which it's based. If you are keen on owning a piece of history, your Jaguar dealer will relieve you of £134,925 for a coupe - or if you prefer the wind in your hair - £138,390 for the roadster.

So what exactly do you get for the privilege? The evergreen 5.0 litre supercharged V8 pumps out the same 575 bhp and 700 nm of torque as the F-type R, while the drivetrain also uses the same all-wheel drive transmission and eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Still, it's not like the F-type needs more power or performance - 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and an electronically-limited top speed of 186 mph is more than ample.

How about some chassis revisions to bring some extra sparkle to the handling? Sorry to disappoint again, but the Jaguar press release makes no mention of any changes - if some tweaking has gone on, Jaguar is ensuring it flies under the radar.

This means that the ZP Edition is essentially just a cosmetic workover, with "specially curated" interior and exterior details commissioned by Jaguar's in-house SV Bespoke programme. Two exclusive colours will also feature derived from the racing E-types - Oulton Blue Gloss with Mars Red and Ebony interior, or Crystal Grey Gloss with Navy Blue and Ebony trim. Each car will also feature hand-painted Porcelain White roundels and grille surrounds, echoing the E-type racers. Rawden Glover, Jaguars Managing Director, has dubbed the ZP Edition an ‘unrepeatable celebration of Jaguar’s internal combustion sports car provenance’.

That endorsement feels like a bullshit PR-laden stretch to us for a basic paint and trim tickle. We can only hope Jaguar is concentrating on discovering its EV mojo to produce another 75 years' worth of exciting electric sports cars. A £30,000 styling exercise seems a rather meek way to pay tribute to such a rich heritage and is indicative of the turmoil Jaguar currently finds itself in. If only the C-X75 had gone into production, we might've been looking at a different Jaguar today. Perhaps it would've just papered over the cracks.

There appears to be a lack of confidence surrounding the leaping cat, a brand stuck in limbo as it simultaneously fails to attract a more youthful audience with a frankly tragic advertising and marketing campaign (topped off by a perplexing Instagram page) and alienates its existing core audience, all underlined by an ageing product line. Regrettably, it feels like a Jaguar is something a Range Rover customer has to navigate past on the way to signing on the dotted line, rather than presenting an attractive alternative or a possible second sale with a weekend sportscar. Not a single one of them is roller skating, unlike in a Jaguar advert. Although some might have the unbearably whitened teeth.

It is a shame to see the F-type bow out with a murmur. After trying to be both a Boxster rival in the V6 and a 911 rival in the V8, the F-type had finally found its feet by going V8 only, despite a misguided facelift. The F-type always had the looks, ability and handling to compete, the problem was the car lacked a sense of identity and confidence in the marketplace - the less said about the fleet buyer chasing 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, the better. It would have been truly special to properly pay homage and see the F-type ride off into the sunset in a Project 7-style blaze of glory. I fear unless Jaguar gets its act together - and quickly - it won't be the F-type that's ceasing to exist.