JAGUAR is busy gearing up for the first sales of the new F-Type sports car but it hasn’t been neglecting its its bigger XK and XJ models, which will soon be available in new, sportier guises.
The additions to the range were unveiled this week at the New York Motor Show.
Successful business owners who didn’t manage to visit New York, take note.
The show-stopper is an ultra-exclusive, sporty new ‘ultimate’ version of the XK, the XKR-S GT, of which just thirty will be built.
Based on the XKR-S coupe, the XKR-S GT has aero and suspension mods designed to increase downforce (which rises to a maximum of 145kg) and improve high-speed cornering.
The XKR-S GT also gets the first carbon ceramic brakes fitted to a production Jag, and many of the chassis tweaks are spin-offs from the development of the F-Type.
Wheels are 20 inch alloys, with 255/35 Pirelli Corsas at the front and super-wide 305/30 tyres at the rear.
Power comes from Jaguar’s established 550PS, 680Nm supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine which is paired with a six-speed transmission and active electronic differential – enough for 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 186mph.
Then there’s a new sporty version of the XJ, the 5.0-litre supercharged 550PS XJR. The XJR is capable of sprinting from rest to 60mph in 4.6 seconds and tops out at an artificially limited 174mph.
Given its enormous performance, the new car is rather understated but a new front splitter, aerodynamic sills, a rear spoiler and special “R” bonnet louvres give the game away to those in the know.
