Jaguar XK 4.2-S SPECIAL EDITION RANGE
Jaguars XK Series Reaches Its Zenith In The Stunning Form Of The 4.2-S Special Edition Model. Andy Enright Reports
Current trends in motoring design language suggest that the
Jaguar XK8 just shouldnt work. Look at those overhangs. Almost every car being produced today has a wheel at each corner. The XK pointedly doesnt and yet its still one of the most visually arresting shapes on the road today.
Jaguars 4.2-S special edition range, which covers both XK8 and supercharged XKR coupes and convertible models, represents the most desirable iteration of Jaguars sporting bruiser to date.
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Unveiled at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, the 4.2-S heads the XK line up and is offered in four limited edition metallic finishes Copper Black, Frost Blue, Bay Blue and Satin Silver in addition to the usual XK colour palette. A luxurious Elm finish is also available for cabin trim, while XKRs are trimmed with carbon fibre veneers. Mechanically identical to their existing counterparts, the focus with the 4.
2-S has been to boost the equipment levels and feel good factor of this most elegant of cars. The XK8 models feature 19-inch Atlas alloy wheels while the XKRs sport 20-inch split-rim BBS Perseus wheels. The supercharged car also receives cross-drilled Brembo brakes with red wheel badges and red brake callipers. Special badging and accents are festooned across both cars.
Polished door treadplates with chequered flag emblems may seem a little out of place given Jaguars disappearance from the premier tier of motorsport but its a theme that repeats on the growler badge on the bonnet. Darkened rear light clusters and leather-trimmed embossed floor mats are also included.
"All Jaguars are special, but the XK has always had its own unique attraction," comments
Jaguar Managing Director Bibiana Boerio. "As well as being a truly beautiful car, the fact that we have progressively updated the technologies and specifications make it all the more desirable and the 4.2-S is a perfect example of this."
"Try just try to walk away from this car without throwing a glance back at it. Its quite impossible" Some of the best bits havent changed. The XK8s engine is still a 4.2-litre 300bhp unit marshalled by an electronically controlled six-speed automatic transmission first seen in the S-TYPE R. A whole raft of electronic safety and control functions harness that prodigious power.
Although top speed is artificially mandated at 155mph, the sprint to 60mph will detain you for a mere 6.1 seconds, only 0.9 seconds slower than the 400bhp supercharged XKR. The XKR is one of the few cars in which its possible to frighten yourself travelling in a dead straight line, such is its savage turn of speed.
The clubby interior and graceful good looks seduce you into the notion that despite the big on-paper power output, the XKR is something of a syrupy GT car. Accelerate hard and that impression vanishes in less than the 5.2 seconds it takes for the XKR to hit 60mph. The supercharger whinnies like the seven milk floats of the apocalypse and it feels as if somebody has switched the scenery to fast forward.
Its the sheer unexpected savagery of the acceleration that shocks. One can almost empathise with the guy enshrined in urban myth that strapped a JATO rocket to the top of his car and launched himself into a cliff face. Punch the throttle in an XKR and theres that same feeling of starting something that was a more serious undertaking than you at first expected. The classic Jaguar J-gate gear selector remains as simple to use as ever and the further innovations which debuted in 2003 are welcome.
Traffic sensing adaptive cruise control made an appearance then as an option, the system featuring Forward Alert, an additional feature that warns drivers of slowing traffic ahead. Emergency Brake Assist and Dynamic Stability Control help keep all the physics firmly in check if you didnt tick the Forward Alert box when specifying your XK8. Jaguars Adaptive Restraint Technology System (ARTS for short) carries on as before. The idea here has been to create a system that avoids the increasing number of airbag-related injuries by sensing the particular position of each front
seat occupant and the particular characteristics of any given impact.
Both Coupe and Convertible body styles are 2+2s - which means that you get a pair of occasional rear seats. Unless you're either well below the age of consent or you're hitching a ride home from the local hostelry, these are too small to be of much use. Cynics will dismiss the XK 4.2-S as an exercise in prolonging the life of a long outdated car and judged on most rational conditions theyd be right. The thing is, we dont buy premium coupes and cabriolet cars based on purely objective criteria.
We buy them for the way they make us feel, for the impression they give others and as an indulgence in our own personal idea of automotive art. Jaguars XK is a case in point and a rather beautiful one at that.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Jaguar XK 4.2-S range
PRICES: £49,995 - £66,795 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 18-19
CO2 EMISSIONS: 279-284g/km
PERFORMANCE: [XK8 Coupe] Max Speed 155mph / 0-60mph 6.1s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [XK8 Coupe] (urban) 16.9mpg (extra urban) 34mpg (combined) 24.9mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS / EBD / ARTS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 187/79/51" [Coupe]
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