Jaguar roars with new convertible
It is rare that a mainstream sports car reaches the league of supercars but Jaguar's latest supercharged coupe - or convertible - fits into this top echelon. The XKR, a brilliant mix of the top-selling XK8 sports model and the power unit from the amazing XJR8 saloon, is bound to cause a stir wherever it is sold.
Introduced at the recent Geneva motor show, the XKR8 offers immense power combined with a chassis and suspension set-up which was sorely in need of extra grunt.
It is almost a match made in automotive heaven, and certainly a serious competitor for Porsche's latest 911 or even Jaguar's stablemate, Aston Martin. It will also be considerably less expensive.
The Jaguar-designed, Ford-built V8 engine is one of the most compact and probably the lightest in its class. The 'standard' V8 produces 290 bhp at 6,100 rpm, while the supercharged version churns out a mammoth 370 bhp at 6,150 rpm. Torque is up to a massive 387 lb/ft, produced at the low engine speed of 3,600 rpm.
Introduced in 1996 at that year's Geneva show, the V8 was initially installed in the exciting new XK8 coupe and convertible. Last year it was fitted to the XJ range of luxury saloons, including a supercharged version in the XJR8 which became the fastest four-door saloon in the world. Now the XJ line-up has returned the favour and the supercharged V8 is available in the sports Jaguar.
The XJ range begins with the entry level 3.2-litre XJ8 and carries through to the awesome Daimler Super Eight, which also features the supercharged version. By squeezing this fabulous motor into the XK's engine compartment - no mean feat apparently - Jaguar has a full range of models to expand its production from the 40,000 it builds to the 100,000 a year it plans by the end of the decade. This will, of course, include the new BMW 5-series challenger, codenamed X200, scheduled to be launched later this year.
The supercharged XK8 is fractionally faster than the equivalent saloon, with the benchmark 0 to 100 km/h taking only 5.4 seconds. This is slightly slower than a Porsche 911 but not by a great deal. The top speed of the XKR8 is electronically limited to 250 km/h. To mark the relationship with the four-door supercharged machine, the XKR also has a mesh grille, while louvred air vents on the bonnet not only provide much-needed engine cooling, but add a touch of motor racing aggression to the package.
Drive is taken through a five-speed electronic automatic transmission, while traction control is a standard feature.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the legendary XK120 which was launched in 1948 as the forerunner to all-successful Jaguar sports cars.
The original XK was remarkable in a number of ways and is fondly remembered by all who sat in one.
It was a transformation from a pretty staid pre-war sports cars, such as the MG TC or the Riley, and introduced one of the best engines of post-war motoring in the form of an aluminium head/iron block, overhead cam straight six.
This engine, originally 3.4 litres, was a masterpiece in its time and continued in production in one form or another, until the late 1970s.
In addition, the XK120 was voted the most beautiful production sports car in the world, an accolade the XJ saloon series received from a panel of Italian judges as recently as 1995.
The XKR8 may be slightly over the top when it comes to refinement versus outright speed but there is no denying Ford made the right decision when it scooped up Jaguar in 1991 in the face of stiff competition from General Motors.
It may have paid over the odds for the British car company, but with products like the supercharged XK8, they must be doing something right.
