Jaguar will mark its 75th birthday with the unveiling of a powerful, limited-edition XKR at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend…
Dubbed the XKR 75, this particular model is limited to a run of just 75 units and builds upon the already impressive virtues of the marque’s supercharged halo model, the XKR.
Jaguar’s engineers have done some tweaking under the bonnet to boost the supercharged 5,0-litre V8’s outputs from 375 kW to 390 kW, while the torque climbs from 625 to 655 N.m. This equates to a 0-100 km/h time trimmed from 4,6 to 4,4 seconds on the way to an electronically-limited top speed of 280 km/h. Power is still channelled to the rear wheels but Jaguar has beefed up the torque converter to better cope with the powerplant’s additional grunt.
Other go-faster additions include a revised suspension set up featuring a ride height lowered by 15 mm in the front and 10 mm at the rear, increased damper and spring rates, as well as increased camber stiffness. As such, the standard XKR’s Adaptive Damper system has been re-mapped to accommodate these changes and serve up a more hard-edged handling package.
In terms of aesthetics, the XKR 75 wears a distinctive Stratus grey paint job accentuated by white racing stripes that flow over the front wings and onto the “haunches” at the back. A revised version of the standard car’s aero kit, featuring a larger rear spoiler, rear diffuser, sill extensions and front splitter, give the XKR 75 a suitably purposeful appearance, augmented by a set of new 20-inch Vortex rims shielding red brake callipers. The XKR 75’s larger exhaust outlets also hint at a revised exhaust system comprising a semi-active sports exhaust and crossover pipe. In keeping with the exterior’s twin-tone colour scheme, the interior is trimmed in charcoal with piano black accents and ivory piping on the sports seats.
Customers in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands will begin to receive their cars from October onwards. There currently aren’t any plans for this model to come to South Africa.