The XF was Jaguar's big bang. Before it, there was nothing. Well, alright, there was 70-odd years of history - much of it unspeakably lovely, but there was also a fair period where it was just unspeakable, as the firm struggled to break free from the twin constraints of Ford's mainstream, volume-based instincts and the shadow cast over it by its heyday.
Its 2007 mid-sized exec car might have been no different - after all, it was conceived and engineered while Dearborn was still writing the cheques, and it sits on a Ford platform - but it turned out to be a Midlander sledge hammer blow to the expectation ceiling. Gone was the dusty hat-doffing to decades gone by: the XF was beholden to none, and possessed the modern styling to prove it.
Amid Ford's mismanagement, the car was a triumph. And also proof that with the right people in charge - i.e. the hands-off investor it finally got - the brand was capable not only still capable of genuinely great things, but cutting-edge, exciting and profitable things, too. How splendid then that within 12 months of Tata's takeover it was able to launch the world-beating hero version: the 510hp XFR.
The performance model was loudly declared to have it all - and in the perfect Jaguar-branded proportions. For a start it was powered by an all-new engine; the 5.0-litre supercharged V8, which was sonorous and effortless and hugely fast all at once. It handled too, in a riotous and very rear-drive way that had it chewing through rubber like a spinster going through liquorice. Yet somehow, when you needed it to be, it was comfortable and considerate and buttery smooth.
It was better than the E60 M5 right out of the gate - and this was just Tata-owned Jaguar getting started. The XF was facelifted in 2011 and Gaydon launched a the XFR-S version in 2012. It discontinued the model in 2015, when the second generation arrived. Since then we've been quietly awaiting its reemergence - most likely in SVR trim - but have thus far been thwarted by SVO's (understandable) preference for sports cars and SUVs.
Regardless, the earliest iteration has inevitably come to rest at very reasonable prices. This 2009 model, with only two owners, a fully documented history and just 67k on the clock is available for £16,250. Of course you'll have to fund its enormous thirst for petrol, but it's worth mentioning just how good the XFR still looks - and in a way that doesn't rely on the bodykits that SVO has proven overly fond of. Chisel off the R and you've a monster car for every occasion.
SPECIFICATION - JAGUAR XF R
Engine: 5,000cc, supercharged V8
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 517@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 461@2,500-5,000rpm
MPG: 22.5
CO2: 292g/km
First registered: 2009
Recorded mileage: 67,000 miles
Price new: £63,395
Yours for: £16,250
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