Moving home

Wow.. that is a beautiful car!

Indeed! Sadly, I can't make out the badge in the picture, and I'm not the sort that can recognize every car under the sun... what is it?

Jaguar XKR

4.2 litre V8, supercharged (upgrade with a faster supercharger, ECU remap and water/methanol injection - to 450BHP they say)
Slightly noisier than standard exhaust system so you can hear the V8
Lowered suspension - mainly a styling thing but I think the track may be wider than standard.

Naff sound system - for now...

Picking it up saturday - more pics after that - hopefully some next to Rob's

Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson liked it, as do I!

Ah, that's the *new* XKR.

We thought about it - then we looked at the price and stopped thinking.

We do like it - especially from the back.

The problem is, a year or so back we went to see them being made in the factory - they were gorgeous. When we came out though we waited by a car park until the minibus came to take us back to Jag HQ. As we waited we saw some cars parked up. It took a second look to realise one was the new XK. It just blended into the sea of normal cars. That's why all Jaguar's publicity shots show it from behind - heck even the dealers have them with the rear end facing the showroom windows!!!

That was the real deciding moment for us.

The old style XK never just 'blended in'
Especially when it was lowered an inch or so.

That's the MOST SEXY CAR ON THE ROAD that any reasonable man can own. "Reasonable", because the unreasonable Aston Martin DB9 is actually the most sexy car. Oddly, the only two men I know who own the XK are "unreasonable" in that sense (a compliment if you read it right).

The new XK took inspiration from tons of plain and boring cars. Air intake of a 1998 Buick Riviera, side vents remind me of the current 350Z. (my brain's not working tonight, because when I first saw the ultralight concept, I noticed about 5 other poor inspirations).

On or before 2011, I will own a 2006 Jaguar XKR. (maybe an '05, not sure I like the hood vents yet)

We had a talk from Ian McCallum (designer of all recent AM's and also the new XK) at the XK Enthusiasts Club meet last year. Some reading between the lines was needed, but it was apparant that the major reason the new XK is not half as sexy as the old one is compliance with modern safety standards. The back is very high to get the eye level brake lights in the right place while still accommodating two golf bags in the boot (yeah really) and the front is too high so it can accommodate the gizmos that save idiot pedestrians when they run out in front of you. I think he also just screwed up on the front, it's just not pretty. Word is Jaguar already have a very nice body refresh standing by which might go on to the 500bhp XKR/R as and when they persuade Ford to make that project official. In the mean time several after market modification companies are launching body kits.

It's still too expensive though, where as the far nicer looking old model can be picked up for peanuts these days. Of course the running costs call for a whole other kind of nut.

Rob

Speaking of AM vs Jaguar, David/Denise on your XK are those aftermarket headlamps? They have a neat little bit on the inside corners which is like the Aston V8 Vantage.

Peter: The XK vents remind me of the 350Z door handles, oddly. I remember now, the vents remind me of the new Range Rover. The rear wheel arches reminded me of some Mitsubishi, I think...

Rob: They won't cost peanuts in the US for 4 more years, unfortunately.

David: Did you photoshop that license plate?

No mate, those were standard - I think this is the last ever revision of the XK shape from Jaguar. Externally the only change that's been made was to lower it by an inch. Oh, and much bigger exhaust ovals but you can't see them yet...

Internally of course....

The next mod (after the Rio) will be paddle shift (but using steering wheel mounted buttons rather than paddles).

Hey, next best thing to a manual...

Nope, that's the standard plate.

But we're selling it if you're interested...

We just got:

MIST DG

for this car and

WISH DG

for the TVR

Heck, the old plate looked like your purchase date or something. I thought it was custom. Or did you just happen to get "XK" in there?

I saw a license plate containing "SLK", the hot little Benz... but the plate was on a Volvo 240 wagon.

I think the issue is that there are no vanity plates, only normally-produced plates that happen to seem to mean something. Add onto that the fact that you can privately trade plates, and you've got a whole cottage industry.

I also find it fascinating that apparently anyone can print a plate. I mean, I guess that the government has to issue the number, but as long as it meets certain standards, anyone can produce it.

fair comment.

I suppose I look at them as a small part of the cosmetics.
If you care about your car as a design or 'artistic' thing (note, not 'fashion') which, by some twist of my psyche, I do, then a number plate can have an effect on the looks.

You missed the 4th category (which we belong to).

Owners initials.

So one car will be MIST DG and the other WISH DG
It's good when you and your wife have the same initials
And I can't wait for a joint photo!

And these plates cost me about the same as a top-end detailing session on the car - or about the same as a set of 6" component speakers. Or, for the Jag, around 0.5% of the cost of the car... so things are relative...

And the 5th category - bloody expensive words - like
BAD 130 Y
which I saw on a mercedes once a long time ago.

The [DBG]AZ plates - yep, ugh.