Jaguar XK

Jaguar XK
Overview
Manufacturer	Jaguar Cars
Also called	XK8, XK, XKR
Production	1996–2014
Model years	1997–2015
Assembly	Castle Bromwich Assembly, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Body and chassis
Class	Grand tourer (S)
Body style	2-door coupé 2-door convertible
Layout	FR layout
Chronology
Predecessor	Jaguar XJS
Successor	Jaguar F-type

The Jaguar XK (XK, XK8 and XKR) is a series of grand tourer cars produced by British car maker Jaguar Cars since 1996. The series was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show on 5 March 1996, and the last car came off the production line on 23 July 2014. The first generation of the series, the XK8, replaced the XJS, and was available as a coupé and convertible. The XK8 was the first 8-cylinder vehicle produced by Jaguar since the Daimler 250, introducing the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine.

The second generation XK was launched in 2006 (as a model year 2007). The new XK introduced an aluminium monocoque bodyshell, and is available both as a two-door coupé and two-door cabriolet/convertible, with just the engine and associated mechanicals being carried forward.

XK8/XKR (1996–2006)

XK8 Convertible

The XK8 was launched in 1996 to replace the XJ-S. Two body styles were produced - a coupé and a convertible. The car was the first in the Jaguar line-up to use Jaguar's newly developed V8 engine - the AJ-V8.^[1] In 2000 the supercharged XKR was added to the range. The XKR featured 370 supercharged horsepower, a subtle rear spoiler, wire mesh front grille, and red exterior emblems. The early XKR's motor was made in England, the ignition system was from NGK in Japan, the transmission was a Mercedes-Benz 722.6, the lighting system was by Valeo in France, and the supercharger was made by Eaton in the USA. So it was truly a world car. The 2000-2002 XKR's had the 4.0 engine which featured a plastic timing chain tensioner that was prone to catastrophic failure. Wise owners replaced that tensioner as well as the plastic finned water pump impeller with metal units. The Mercedes-Benz transmission was billed at the time as a "sealed-for-life" unit with no drain plug. However, wise owners can have the drain pan removed, install a new pan gasket, & refill with new fluid every 50,000 miles or so. The 2000 XKR received stellar reviews from numerous car magazines of the time including: Road & Track Dec. 1999, Car & Driver Jan. 2000, and Automobile Feb. 2001.

The XK8 came standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, while 18-inch (Standard on the XKR), 19-inch, and 20-inch wheels were available for the XK8 at an additional cost. Jaguar's Adaptive Cruise Control is an optional feature available on both models. Both models came with all-leather interior, burl walnut trim, and side airbags. ^[2][3]

XK/XKR (2006–2014)

XKR (X150) Coupé

The newly designed XK was unveiled in 2005 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. Jaguar's chief designer Ian Callum (who was also responsible for working on the Aston Martin DB7 and Vanquish coupés) claimed that the inspiration for the shape of the new XK came from his admiration for British actress Kate Winslet's curves.^[4] The X150's grille was also inspired from the famous 1961 Jaguar E-Type.^[5]

The standard XK model has an unlimited top speed of 158 mph whilst the XKR an unlimited top speed of 174 mph. An even faster variant, the XKR-S model was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012. The rare and inspired colors of the XK/XKR models is the Italian racing red and the British racing green with were produced in limited numbers. The XKR-S gained an additional 40-horsepower over the XKR bringing the 0-60 mph time down to only 4.4 seconds and the top speed up to 300 km/h (186 mph) - making it the fastest Jaguar yet after the Jaguar XJ220. A convertible version of the XKR-S was released in 2012.^[6]

Production of the XK ceased in July 2014 without a replacement model until F-Type.

References

Notes

1. "Wilson on a 1997 Jaguar XK8". Mirror. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
2. Winter Communicafftion Design (8 November 2010). "XK8 und XKR (X100) - Entwicklungsgeschichte". XKJaguar. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
3. "The Auto Channel-JAGUAR REDESIGNS ITSELF AS IT DESIGNS THE XK8". Theautochannel.com. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
4. Clout, Laura (21 April 2008). "Jaguar boss has designs on Ford model". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
5. Pollard, Tim (11 March 2009). "Jaguar XK 5.0 Coupe (2010)". Car. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
6. jaguar.com http://www.jaguar.com/ca/en/xk/models_and_pricing/models/xkr-s/specs1. Missing or empty |title= (help)

Bibliography

• Bedard, Patrick. "Preview: 2007 Jaguar XK". Car and Driver (March 2006): 58–59.
• Holmes, Mark (2007). Ultimate Convertibles: Roofless Beauty. London: Kandour. pp. 84–87. ISBN 978-1-905741-62-5.

External links

• Jaguar XK at Jaguar's global website