The Jaguar XK8 came as the proverbial breath of fresh air for Browns Lane and Jaguar enthusiasts world-wide. After years of tolerating the overweight and under-achieving XJ-S, many had begun to wonder what was happening in the inner sanctum at Jaguar Cars. The trouble for Jaguar Cars was the fact that the E-Type, released to international acclaim way back in 1961, was simply so good that designing and developing a successor was always going to be a no-brainer for the company. Sleek, lithe, gorgeous in every proportion and capable of astonishing speeds for the time, the E-Type became a collectible classic from the moment it rolled onto showroom floors all around the world. Purists will say that the original six-cylinder versions were the most pure and they are probably correct. Various mandated international regulations and the heavy (and thirsty and unreliable) V12 engine dulled the driving experience somewhat but despite that, they were still E-Types with that breathtaking style. The XK8, released in 1996, brought renewed credibility to Jaguar Cars. Here at last was a two-seater coupe and convertible that looked like a Jaguar should - sleek, low with sensuous curves in all the right places. There were elements of the E-Type at the front but the XK8 was all-new and taking Jaguar boldly into the future. Inside all was traditional walnut and leather, as was expected by those who wanted the XK8, and the usual full complement of round Smiths instruments and luxury accoutrements. Under that sleek body was a completely new power train, starting with the AJ-V8 engine. Of 4-litres capacity with quad camshafts, it produced 290bhp, enough to push the 3635lb coupe from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 156mph. The cat was back, at last! Three years later Jaguar announced the XKR, a supercharged and honed-and-tightened version of the XK8. In many ways it was Jaguars tilt at the M series cars from BMW. The engines power output was raised to 370bhp and the chassis and brakes were all given the specialist treatment - lowering and firming of the suspension, huge Brembo brakes - to cater for a coupe that was likely going to be driven hard, especially by owners on the Continent. Sadly for American, Australian and Japanese owners experiencing the enormous performance of the XKR would be a license-threatening gamble because of the road laws of those countries. 0-60mph took just 5.4 seconds, a great time for a fully equipped luxury 3600lb coupe while maximum speed was 155mph, the same as the XK8 only the XKR got there much quicker! Six years after its introduction Jaguar treated the XK8/XKR to a mechanical upgrade by enlarging the capacity of the V8 engine to 4.2-litres and adopting the lauded ZF 6-speed automatic gearbox. Power went up slightly, to 300bhp for the normally aspirated engine and 400bhp for the supercharged unit, and the XKRs acceleration from 0-60mph was fractionally quicker at 5.2 seconds. Various special XKs were built during its long production life and it had a sister car in the lovely Aston Martin DB7 that took features from both it and the XJ-S, and was styled by the same person, Ian Callum. The XK8 remained in production until 2005 when it was replaced by the next generation that borrowed heavily from it. While not as lithe as the legendary E-Type the XK8/XKR was by far the most glamorous and sporting Jaguar for a long time and was very successful for the company. The new XK coupe has big shoes to fill. Models covered: 4.0 & 4.2 XK8 & XKR, SVO, Silverstone, R & 100 in both coupe & convertible form.
