HOW does a car company with the heritage and tradition of Jaguar improve upon a top-shelf performance model that was widely regarded as one of the automotive world's most beautiful shapes? The answer, it seems, is to inject more modernity into the second-generation XK coupe and convertible's design - without messing with the curvaceous two-door's fundamental styling. With a limited number of both the redesigned coupe and convertible now having arrived in Australia, exclusivity alone should ensure demand for Jaguar's XK remains as strong as ever.
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Jaguar XK
Released: October 1996
Ended: June 2006
Family Tree: XKIt's hard to believe Jaguar's XK first arrived Down Under almost a decade ago, but the sexy two-door did, in fact, go on sale here in XK8 coupe and convertible guise in October 1996. Powered by a 216kW/393Nm 4.0-litre V8 and priced at $183,750 ($211,950 for the convertible), the XK8 was joined by the wild 276kW/525Nm supercharged XKR twins in May 1998. The XKR with R Features pushed the convertible's price up to $240,000 in 2000, but the addition of a six-speed auto and a 224kW/420Nm 4.2-litre , V8 for the upgraded model released here in October 2002 improved the big Jag coupe's credentials considerably. The outgoing XKR delivered 298kW/553Nm.
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