On occasion, Jaguar's performance cars have been subtle enough to do a disservice to their quality. Think of models like the old XF SV8 and XJ Supersport, even the XE S when it had a V6 - all drove beautifully, and were fast with it, but most people wouldn't have been able to tell them apart from the more humdrum range-fillers. Which is cool to those in the know, but potentially a tough sell to anyone who likes others to know they've spent money on the flagship performance model. Things have changed a little now - nobody will mistake the F-Pace SVR for anything but the 550hp one - but old habits diehard. How there isn't a performance-focused I-Pace when there are BMW M and Audi S electric SUVs already out there seems bizarre given how dynamically sorted the standard car is...
Anyway, that's for another day. Today, time to remember another under-the-radar Jag great - the XKR-S. Launched in 2008 ahead of the X150 generation facelift the year after, it will have seemed to the majority like a set of snazzy wheels and lip spoiler on the 2005 XK. But that belied what had changed underneath, with Mike Cross and his engineering team at Jag really getting the best from what was already a very good XK chassis.
Springs, dampers and anti-roll bars were firmer, and the ride height reduced by 10mm; the steering was faster, new Alcon brakes more powerful (and lighter) than standard, the rear Pirellis wider to improve traction. The bodykit may have looked subtle, but it cut drag by three per cent, and significantly reduced lift above 150mph; which would have seemed daft on a standard, 155mph XKR, but seemed more worthwhile on the delimited, 174mph R-S.
Even without any more power or a limited-slip diff, the new Jag immediately impressed. 'In a word, brilliant' read one review; "I can't think of a GT that does sporting comfort and luxury better, and that includes the twice as pricey Aston DBS" gushed another; a third praised the "immense grip, fantastic poise and communicative steering". It was much more than an Ultimate Black paint job and an uprated B&W stereo, however desirable those bits might have been.
With just 50 cars allocated to the UK out of a 200-model production run, finding a Jaguar XKR-S isn't easy. This one is being sold with new discs and pads (best hope they are the S-specific Alcons) and lots of stamps in a service book for £27,950. It's covered 59,000 miles in that time and, if not exactly photographed in the most flattering of environments, looks very smart for it. If the pre-facelift XK was once made to look a little passe by the revised car, it's ageing well to these eyes.
Which does present a tough decision for any prospective XKR buyer, as the asking price of this R-S pitches it against those later, more powerful, updated cars. This 2011 XKR has the 5.0-litre, 510hp engine and tweaked interior, with comparable mileage, for £25k. So the old car is potentially a tough sell. But for those after an XK much rarer than most, a Jaguar skunkworks special that showed off the R's potential years ahead of models like the GT, it's easy to see the appeal. Even if it might take some explaining to everyone else.
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