Jaguar Builds A Fastest XKR

The XK is a downright gorgeous car. Penned by the same inspired genius that’s given us the current crop of Aston Martins, it has nearly everything a buyer could possibly want: a lightweight aluminum superstructure, a muscular V8 powertrain family, an opulent interior and looks that turn a horde of supermodels into background noise.

But, it’s never quite caught on, and for one good reason: a lack of purpose. While other premium sports coupes have hard-core range-topping models like the 911 Turbo to give their lesser models a better sense of purpose, Jaguar’s always tried to market the XK as an obscure object of unknown quantity. But not for much longer, apparently. Parent company Tata has repeatedly commented on their desire to move the brand closer to their sporting roots, and it would appear that that movement starts in a week or so in Geneva.

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Called the XKR Special Edition, this new car benefits from the installation of two distinctly separate packages: the Black Pack appearance package (accounting for the black wheels, blacked out grilles, colour-keyed aero kit and red brake callipers) and the much more interesting Speed Pack. Although leaving the power level at the current car’s more-than-ample 510 horsepower, the Speed Pack lifts the annoying 155 mile per hour speed limiter to a much more impressive 174 miles per hour. Allowing it to thoroughly embarrass all those annoying Germans, the combination of the newfound speed and the youthfully aggressive looks should help give the XK a bit more direction.