A facelifted version of the Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe has been spied near the brand’s Nurburgring test facility in Germany. But instead of a snarling V6 or V8, this test mule houses a more modest 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine under the bonnet. When it’s plumbed into the F-TYPE, expect it to grow some serious chest hair and push up to – or even beyond – the 300bhp mark, enough to bring it into line with the non ‘S’ version of the Boxster and Cayman 718. Jag’s engineers will no doubt be working hard on making it growl louder than its capacity deserves.

Jaguar is about to follow Porsche’s lead by fitting a four-cylinder turbo to it sportiest model, the F-TYPE. How do we know this? Because this camouflaged prototype of a facelifted F-TYPE has been spotted prowling around and a quick DVLA check of its plate reveals it to be a black Jaguar, first registered on 1 April, with a 2000cc petrol engine.

At the rear, these pictures show a new exhaust, presumably designed to heighten the aural drama for the otherwise muted 2.0-litre turbo engine. It’s a single squared-off unit, rather than the twin or quad tailpipes found on the supercharged V6 and V8 models. We expect the production model to get updated lights and revised bumpers, too.

 The F-TYPE will likely take the new Ingenium petrol engine destined for model like the XE and XF saloons. It’ll power those cars first, along with the F-PACE, Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport, before appearing in the F-TYPE sports car.

There’s a good chance it’ll be offered with manual and automatic gearboxes, too, though four-wheel drive isn’t likely to feature on the options list. A basic four-cylinder F-TYPE could see the car’s starting price drop below £50,000 for the first time. An entry-level 718 Cayman costs £39,878.