Another set of honors goes to the Jaguar brand. During the 2006 Auto Express New Car Honors, the ‘Car of the Year’ award was granted to the Jaguar sports car XK. Another award was given to the Jaguar brand as per the ‘Best Coupe’ award was presented to the coupe version of the Jaguar XK.
The Jaguar XK also is known by other names such as the XK8, XKR, and the XK. It is manufactured by the Ford Motor Company and is marketed under the Jaguar brand. It has been in production since 1997 and up until the present, this remarkable vehicle continues to be produced. It took over the spot of the Jaguar XJS in the line up of Jaguar vehicles. It is a GT car and has been produced in two body styles which comprise of the FR sports car with two doors and the FR convertible also holding two doors.
Geoff Cousins is the managing director at the Jaguar Cars in the United Kingdom. On the awards that the Jaguar XK took home, he remarked, “We are delighted that Auto Express shares our view that the new Jaguar XK is very special. At the outset Jaguar’s aim was to deliver a sporting Grand Tourer that on the one hand cossets the driver and on the other offers an involving and rewarding experience – the true heart and soul of a sports car. For those who have had the pleasure to experience the new XK, I am sure they will agree that we achieved just that.”
As on the end of Auto Express, David Johns, the editor in chief of the mentioned group, expresses, “From the moment we first heard rumors about the new Jaguar XK we were excited. When the first pictures appeared we were hooked and early passenger rides in prototypes merely served to heighten our anticipation.
“What’s more it proves Britain still has the expertise, experience and ability to produce world beaters. Ground-breaking, bold, beguiling, and breathtaking, the Jaguar XK is a British sports car that we can all be proud of.”
Famous for its luxury saloon vehicles and sports cars as well, the Jaguar brand is yet another vehicle manufacturer that keeps its aficionados and followers looking forward to the next creation that it would release on the roads and streets. Jaguar Cars is a vehicle manufacturer from Britain and with its vehicles that it has manufactured, it has kept a wide range of competitors that include brands like the BMW, the Mercedes Benz, the Porsche, the Cadillac, the Lexus, the Infiniti, and also the Lincoln.
One of the vehicles that is running under this brand is the Jaguar XJS. This is a luxury coupe and it has replaced the famous and world renowned Jaguar E Type. This was done on September of 1975. The Jaguar XJS was actually based on the Jaguar XJ saloon. It is not as sporty as most of the vehicles under the Jaguar brand. However, it still is a grand tourer and is also aerodynamic. During the development of this luxury, it was actually dubbed as the XK-F. The last of its kind was produced on April 4, 1996. In its place came the Jaguar XK8.
Upon its introduction the Jaguar XJS was equipped with a V12 engine. Along with that, the owner of the Jaguar XJS had a choice between a manual transmission or an automatic transmission although soon enough the manual option was deleted off the list of options. With this kind of machine, the Jaguar XJS is capable of reaching 60 mph in 6.9 seconds and can accelerate to 150 mph. It has been said that the Jaguar XJS has a revolutionary aluminum construction with space age technology. However, despite that fact, it still has been able to retain the elegant lines that has made Jaguar vehicles that popular.
This vehicle went into a very quick ascent to popularity when there was a television series that came up needing a vehicle. The television series was the popular “Return of the Saint”. In this series, the hero, Simon Templar who was being played by Ian Ogilvy, drives an early Jaguar XJS with the number plate ‘ST 1’. And it was during this time that miniature versions of the Jaguar XJS were crafted. These sold like hotcakes.