XKR-R on prowl

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Source: Auto Express

Check out the claws on this Big Cat! Auto Express has got the inside line on the most exciting new Jaguar since the XJ220 supercar. It's a sports GT that promises to send the famous British maker into uncharted territory, and is set to become the firm's fastest-ever coupé.

This is the XKR-R, a more powerful version of the range-topping two-door, which will challenge premier league performance cars such as the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Porsche 911 Turbo.

Our pictures are based on exclusive insider information. Expected to take inspiration from Jaguar's new endurance project, the XKR-R will get a deep front splitter, low side skirts and Venturi-style tunnels at the rear. Mesh grilles, a larger bonnet air intake and brake ducts complete the aggressive nose, while flared wheel*arches and huge 20-inch alloys add further visual punch. The look is finished off by a racing stripe and big rear wing.

But despite its track looks, the XKR-R won't be a stripped-out racer. In the past, Jaguar has produced lightweight versions of its road cars, but the new model will stick to the firm's core themes of accessible power and luxury.

While racing bucket seats and carbon fibre trim will save weight, it's the uprated engine that will make the most difference to performance. Engineers are likely to boost the XKR's 4.2-litre supercharged V8 from 420bhp to more than 500bhp, thanks to a reprogrammed ECU, uprated variable valve timing with an increased rev limit and a free-flowing exhaust. The firm will also change the gearing on the supercharger, forcing it to blow even harder.

With a new six-speed paddle*shift auto, that should mean the 0-60mph sprint is covered in 4.5 seconds, while a top speed in excess of 180mph is possible. Larger brakes and retuned adaptive dampers will also appear.

But talk of the XKR-R is controversial, not least because of Jaguar's financial situation. Officially, projects outside of the programme to replace the S-Type are off-limits.

Parent firm Ford is insistent that Jaguar must make a return on the massive investment in it before the firm is allowed free rein on cars such as the XKR-R. However, internal support for the car is huge, and a development timetable for the newcomer is being openly discussed behind the scenes.

A further factor in the XKR-R's favour is the sale of sister brand Aston Martin. Until now, Jaguar's top sports models haven't been allowed to step on the toes of Aston's products - but with Ford actively looking to shift the firm, Jaguar's path is clear. There's no doubt the XKR-R would be a stunning flagship - all the company needs to do now is build it.

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I'm not a fan of overly agressive bodykits, that wing reall doesn't suit it, I don't know how much of that description is official but I really hope that if it does have a wing it will be a small more subtle one and that the rest of the body kit is styled so as not to take away from the cars otherwise good looks.
 
Looks a little too over-styled. Body kit brings the sides too low. The rear end just tooks akward. Ditch the stripe, and the overly huge wing and maybe make the diffuser fit the body better and this would bee a cool car. This stying would be more appropriate for a car built for the track, not one to be used on the street. This car does look like it will be very fast.
 
If it's anything like that it'll barely make a drop-kerb, let alone a speed bump.

Looks good for a proper track racer, but luxury GT? No thanks.
 
I'm not a fan of that cheap plastic engine cover either.
 
On paper, it's a fantastic idea (but only if Aston is sold off). In photos, it's only something that belongs on the racetrack, stripes or no stripes. The image is good by itself, just not on the road. Jaguar can do much better than this. I can't forsee this being anything close to reality.
 
...If anything, it should look similar to the upcoming racer:



I myself do have a big problem with the whole thing, the lack of a true manual transmission. To be honest, nothing can replace the matching actions of your feet and your hands, and although there is indeed a paddle-operated shifter ready to go, being that it is an automatic, I wouldn't trust it to any kind of serious performance driving.

...Take the previous XKR-R...

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That was a lovely piece of work done by Jaguar, and it is unfortunate that nothing really ever came of it. More power, tighter suspension, a true manual... It was a true successor to the greatness of the old E-Type. This could do much the same, but there is plenty of work that would need to be done...
 
I was just about to say YSSMAN, that looks more like the new race car than a XKR because half that equipment would surely not be street legal, and even if it was, speed bumps would eat it.
 
Pssh. I don't care what Ian Callum says, that thing looks like a Taurus from the front. I'm not a big fan of the back either, and that wing isn't helping.
Anyway, his brother designed the Mazda3.
 
I think there's a bit of a mix up of information concerning the XK-RR personally, because it is meant to be a road car and not a track car, just a fast road car. I don't think it will look much like Auto Expresse's artists impressions either which just take the race car, remove the front splitter, add a small wing and different exhausts.
 
I think the XKR without all that chopping looked better, and then again, the newer XKR looks at least 10 times better then the old one. Come one YSSMAN, that the most ugly front Jag has ever made!
 
I'd have to disagree with the criticisms of the design. I love the look of the new XK, defined in terms of old-school E-Types and D-Types, and yet modern enough to out-pace a Maserati Spyder or Merdedes SL. Comparing it to a Taurus is a bit too far I think, if anything the car looks more like its cousin the V8 Vantage than anything else.
 
YSSMAN
Comparing it to a Taurus is a bit too far I think, if anything the car looks more like its cousin the V8 Vantage than anything else.
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I agree. It looks nothing like a Taurus. It has more of a Buick motif than anything else I can see (including the baby Aston, which shares the side profile and practically nothing else). Its like a RWD '98 Buick Riviera.
 
The T-56 six-speed from the Viper would do nicely. The Aston Martin version with the electronics for sequential shift would do also.
 
YSSMAN
I'd have to disagree with the criticisms of the design. I love the look of the new XK, defined in terms of old-school E-Types and D-Types, and yet modern enough to out-pace a Maserati Spyder or Merdedes SL. Comparing it to a Taurus is a bit too far I think, if anything the car looks more like its cousin the V8 Vantage than anything else.
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I agree with that, the new XK is a very nice looking car. But I don't like the bodykit in that artists impression.
 
Sakiale
Pssh. I don't care what Ian Callum says, that thing looks like a Taurus from the front. I'm not a big fan of the back either, and that wing isn't helping.
Anyway, his brother designed the Mazda3.
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A small pic concerneing the heritage of the design.

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Now behind the Taurus-esque of the new XK (which looks great IMO), here is the story behind it.

IAN CALLUM, who designed the new Jaguar XK, has a framed letter on the wall of his office in England. "Whoops!" the letter begins. "I am SO sorry!"

The apology came from Mr. Callum's younger brother, Moray, who is also an auto designer. (Moray recently became design director for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars in North America, after serving as head of styling for Mazda.)

In 1995, Moray Callum had just started to restyle the Ford Taurus. To add what he considered a sporting touch to the otherwise staid family sedan, he borrowed the elliptical grille opening of some classic Jaguars. He set Ford's blue oval emblem in the middle of it, atop a stripe of chrome.

That decision by Moray, now 48, loomed large when it came time for his brother Ian, who is 51 and Jaguar's director of design, to restyle the British automaker's 10-year-old sporty coupe and convertible.

"Everyone wants to know why the new XK has a 'Taurus nose,'" Ian lamented in an interview. "Done in by my own brother!"
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00B1FF83D550C778CDDAF0894DE404482
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Ian Callum
"Done in by my own brother!"
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Owned.

But seriously, the grill and headlight shape in relation to the roundness of the nose makes it a dead-ringer for the Buick Riviera (the headlights aren't close enough on the Taurus to be confused with either of those two). Not helping the fact is that the way the rear end is rounded it could be confused for either the Buick or the Taurus. Still a pretty good, if unoriginal, design though.
 
(For those who don't know or don't remember the Buick Riviera)

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Bloody hell!

That is an abomination!
Taking a modern Jaguar to the track is taking out of its comfort zone. I don't see this being a worthy alternative to anything.

These days 500hp just isn't enough to inspire awe.
 
ultrabeat
These days 500hp just isn't enough to inspire awe.
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Chevy does it with the Corvette. BMW with the M6. Porsche with the 911. 500 horses are enough to make a car almost anybody would drool over. Unless by awe, you mean those exotics. No, 500 won't bring this car to exotic territory. Besides, I think of Jag as a luxury marque, not a maker of hard-core stuff.
 
Having 500 BHP pretty much is the magic number when it comes to validating a car as a premium sport option. If Jaguar is shooting for anything, it pretty much would be the SL55 (or is it now 63?) and XLR-V, maybe the M6 to some extent. It will be a "gentleman's sports car" by every definition of the phrase, one that could be just as at home on the highway as it is on the track. I mean you can't go in expecting F430 levels of agility or the all-out harshness of a SRT-10, but a civilized sports coupe for the man with sophisticated tastes.
 
I think they should develop it further, and make it eligable to enter the GT2 category of FIA GT, or even the GT3, wich is pretty close to roadcars.

About the gearbox: I´ve read that that is what actually saves the XK model from being pretty much rubbish. It apparently has pretty bad brakes, and allthough meant to be a sporty luxurycar in the veins of an Aston, its sorely left behind by just about all its natural competition. Instead, in terms of capabilities, it competes with things like Alfa Romeo 159 or Subaru Legacy. The only thing that truly stands out is the gearbox.
But that goes for the XK, and I assume this one handle a lot better.
 
I have no idea where you've read that but a breif glimps at various reviews clearly shows that not to be the case. In terms of track performance, sure it'll get left behind by some cars like BMW 6 series and so on but as a raod car being driven every day on the road it's up there with the best.
Autocar
Jaguar XK Series Coupe 4.2 XK 2dr - Verdict8 out of 10

The XK’s strength lies in the breadth of its repertoire: it both cossets and thrills, depending on mood and situation. This usability is enough to overshadow our disappointment at the XK’s kerbweight and the effect that has on its performance. But all things considered, the XK is easily the best GT all-rounder on sale.
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Autocar
Jaguar XK Series Coupe 4.2 XKR 2dr - Verdict8 out of 10

This is a superb effort from Jaguar, blending enormous pace with a comfortable vibe that makes it a compelling car either for everyday use, or as an occasional treat. It's not perfect, but it proves Jaguar can make truly world-class cars, a fact that should make enthusiasts everywhere very glad.
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The info comes from Swedish car mag Automobil. Their verdict was that it was a great highwaycruiser, but whatever you do, don´t attempt any driving-on-the-edge!
They put all the cars they test through a series of tests, such as acceleration, braking, cornering capabilities through coneslalom, both in a straight line and on sort of tracklayout, and also through a 50m radius turn. The car they tested was the XK8 though.
 
The first comment was the XK8, the second was the XKR, they called the XK8 "the XK is easily the best GT all-rounder on sale." It's not a track car, it's not meant to be a track car and if you compare it to a comparable BMW 6 series on a track the BMW will probably win with ease, but on the road the Jag is fantastic.
 

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