Jaguar XK8: the first V8 Jaguar grand tourer

The Jaguar XK8, project code X100, is a grand tourer launched by Jaguar Cars in 1996 as the first generation of a new XK series. It came as a two-door coupé or two-door convertible with the new 4.0-litre Jaguar AJ-V8 engine, and in 1998 the XKR joined it with a supercharged version of the same unit.

Jaguar XK8 at a glance

History of the Jaguar XK8

Origins

The XK8 replaced the XJS and was the first Jaguar with eight cylinders since the Daimler 250, introducing the AJ-V8 engine. The car shares its XJS-derived platform with the Aston Martin DB7, both tracing back to a Jaguar study of the mid-1980s called XJ41/XJ42. That pair of concepts, a coupé and a convertible, reached an advanced stage after Jaguar realised in 1982 that the XJ-S had grown too large and heavy to replace the E-Type properly, but the project was cancelled when Ford took over in 1989 and the money went on modernising the factories instead. The XJ-S was facelifted and renamed XJS as a stopgap, and the studies eventually became the DB7 of 1994 and the XK8 of 1996. Development of the X100 began in 1992, a design was chosen by October and frozen in 1993, prototypes were built from December 1993 and the car was unveiled in March 1996, going on sale that October.

XK8 and XKR

The XK8 used the new 32-valve 4.0-litre AJ-V8 and rode on the second generation of Jaguar’s independent rear suspension from the XJ40. CATS adaptive suspension, already an option on the coupé, was added to the convertible in 1997 along with light-sensitive headlamps and an automatically dipping mirror. The XKR arrived in May 1998 with a supercharged V8 shared with the XJR but with air-to-water intercooling and a two-piece driveshaft; the Eaton supercharger ran at 1.9 times engine speed and produced 11.9 pounds of boost for 375 PS. Visually it added a small rear spoiler, bonnet louvres and a mesh grille. Servotronic II power steering came in 1998, an optional R kit with stiffer suspension and gold wheels from late 1999, and a GPS option that replaced the three centre-console gauges from 2000.

Updates and equipment

A mechanical update in 2002 enlarged both engines to 4.2 litres, added clear-lens headlamps and brought new colours, wheels and badging, with the ZF 6HP26 six-speed automatic replacing the earlier five-speed units. A further revision in spring 2004 brought new wheel designs, larger spoilers and a redesigned grille. Standard equipment included 17-inch alloy wheels, with 18, 19 and 20-inch wheels optional; the XKR sat on Pirelli P Zero tyres. Both bodies had an all-leather interior, burl walnut trim and side airbags, in either a sport trim aimed at younger buyers, with cloth seat centres designed by Karen Anderson, or a more luxurious classic trim. Jeremy Clarkson compared the original XK8 interior to sitting inside Blenheim Palace. Both XK8 and XKR are electronically limited to 155 mph.

Design and features

• AJ-V8 engine: Jaguar’s first V8 grand tourer, 4.0 then 4.2 litres.
• XKR: supercharged, 375 PS, from 1998.
• Two bodies: coupé and convertible, both with 2+2 seating.
• XJ40 rear suspension: the second generation of Jaguar’s independent layout.
• Limited editions: including the XKR Silverstone for Jaguar’s 2001 Formula One entry.

Jaguar XK8 versions

• XK8 (1996–2006): the 4.0, then 4.2-litre naturally aspirated car.
• XKR (1998 on): supercharged 4.0, then 4.2-litre V8.
• XKR Silverstone: a 2001 edition in unique platinum paint for the Formula One entry.
• Sport and Classic trims: two interior specifications from launch.

The XK8 replaced the Jaguar XJS and was followed by the Jaguar XK of 2006; its V8 also went into the Jaguar XJ8. More cars are in the Jaguar collection.

Sources

• Jaguar XK (X100), English Wikipedia: origins, XKR, updates, equipment