By Rami Moorosi
To explore this legacy one has to go to the northern seaside town of Blackpool, England. In 1922 at the age of 21, William Lyons joined William Walmsley as a business partner of the Swallow Sidecar Company. With Lyons’ keen business sense, the business grew rapidly and by 1927, he had progressed to building special-bodied cars. It was 1931 that the launch of the legendary SS1 set the stage for the first true car under the Jaguar brand. As the range improved and expanded, it needed a name to reflect its speed, power and sleekness and in 1935 the Jaguar name was born.
This year carried on with the Jaguar sports car moving on to a new level with the launch of the new generation of the XK coupe and convertible as well as the new XF saloon car. With an all-new engine, enhanced interiors, and an advanced lightweight aluminium body structure, the new XK proudly builds on 60 years of legendary performance. “Built in the tradition of great grand tourers, with state of the art engineering, aerospace-inspired construction and outstanding driving dynamics, the new XK is the latest in a long line of legendary performance Jaguars,” adds Mike O’Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar cars.
There are two core models in the new XK range, namely the XK and the XKR – each with its own sporting character. In addition to the many changes under the skin, the new XKs are visually different to the previous generation. Each bears the distinguishing traits of the brand name – seductive, powerful and elegant. Both the coupe and convertible model, introduce revised exterior styling that underlines Jaguar’s contemporary thinking on design.
The XK uses technology that boasts advanced body architecture with aluminium chassis that is strong and lightweight – the result is enhanced performance, dynamic agility and competitive CO2 emissions and fuel economy. This also offers good safety and crash repair features. Under the hood the new impressive AJ-V8 Gen III, direct-injection engines are the most powerful and efficient engines Jaguar has ever produced. The 5,0-litre engine can propel XKR coupe to 1 000kph in just 4,8 seconds and the in XK 5,5 seconds.
The interiors are a harmony of contemporary, sporting luxury, and exceptional quality of craftsmanship. The cabin is clean, elegant and spacious, and remains entirely in harmony with the sporty character of the revised exterior. The convertible comes with the option of either hard-topped coupe or fabric-roofed.
The four-door XF has the visual excitement of a coupe, but room inside for five adults to enjoy an interior wholly contemporary in style yet uniquely Jaguar. The XFR is distinguished by unique exterior and interior design features including unique 20-inch alloy wheels, revised bumpers and lower front air intakes, sill extensions, bonnet louvres and grilles, four tailpipes and a boot-lid spoiler.
The latest models boast the hallmarks that Jaguar has become renowned for and are a clear indication of what we can expect in the future – sophisticated automobiles for the discerning driver.
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