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The Jaguar XKR-S is an odd creature. Its basis, the Jaguar XKR, is a refined Ian Callum design. A stately beast that can transport its occupants with speed and style to any destination they desire. The XKR-S is more than that. It takes its style from the world's race tracks rather than their galleries. It borrows its performance from ballistic missiles, rather than cross country runners.

It's a Jaguar with rabies, a wildcat with a glint in its eye that begs you to hop in and see how long you can hold on for. And it's utterly stunning to play with.

You see, Jaguar didn't only give it more power et al, it created a feral beast.

When you walk up to the XKR-S the first thing that crosses your mind it how utterly mad it looks -- wings and vents seemingly spattered all over its precious shell leer at you. That, however, is your warning. Slip yourself inside and all the clues to its true nature are there before you -- flags, carbon fibre, a growling cat in the centre of the 'wheel...

Pressing the start button is a treat -- the sonorous 5.0-litre V8 stirs to life with enough energy to scare bird from trees. The noise the XKR-S makes is akin to nothing I've heard -- it's mechanical, loud, unrelenting and... brilliant. It's everything you think a 1950s race car sounds like. And a bit more, too.

Alongside the noise is the power: 550bhp, 502lb ft, 0-62mph in 4.2secs and a 186mph top speed. That's pretty rapid by anyone's standards. All that power means the Jag's acceleration is unrelenting. The moment your foot hits the carpet your view beings to blur into nothing and your hearing is consumed by the engine's visceral rasp. It's quite a thing to experience. But one that needs to be experienced in certain conditions.

In the dry the XKR-S is the perfect car. It'll grip quite happily and step its bum out if you ask it to. In the wet you are given the illusion of control. It simply can't put its power down in any meaningful way and the slightest bit of power can cause its rear to want to meet its front.

That aside -- I love it. It's a Jaguar I'd keep for the track, something to bring out and scare the big boys. It's damn near perfect, if a little mad.

Specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Power: 550bhp
Torque: 502lb ft
0-60mph: 4.2seconds
Top speed: 186mph

Written/Presented: Alex Goy
Shot/Edited: Nick Wilkinson


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