Beating the Germans at their own Game
Who would have thought a bunch of German’s would vote for a Brit over their own kind? Well, 70,000 readers of German motoring magazine, Auto Bild Sportscars, did just that. In a recent poll for Sports Car of the Year the Jaguar XKR-S stole the honours, ahead of the Mercedes C63 AMG and Audi RS5 in their home market.
Competing for the 10th ‘Auto Bild Sports Car of the Year’ awards were a total of 173 cars in 17 categories, including modified and low-volume cars. In its category the Jaguar XKR-S finished ahead of 14 respected competitors. The awards were presented on Friday 25th November at the Essen Motor Show, Germany.
The XKR-S – the most powerful production car Jaguar has built – was recently tested by Auto Bild on the famous Nürburgring Nordshleife, which it lapped in just 7-minutes 51-seconds; its 5.0 litre supercharged V8 engine produces 404kW and 680Nm, enabling it to hit 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds before going on to reach an electronically limited top speed of 300km/h.
“Winning the first prize in a segment dominated by premium German competitors makes us particularly proud“, said
Mike Wright, Executive Director of Jaguar/Land Rover. “The vote for the XKR-S proves that Jaguar’s desire to build powerful but beautiful cars resonates extremely well with those who have a passion for sports and performance cars.”
The XKR-S was developed at the Jaguar Test and Engineering Centre situated at the Nürburgring. It epitomises the attributes key to all Jaguar’s GT cars: explosive power, inspiring handling, relaxed comfort and discrete luxury.
While I think “relaxed comfort” may be a bit of a stretch in a car as brutal as the XKR-S, I definitely wouldn’t turn down a quick blast in one these magnificent beasts.
Engine: 5.0 litre Supercharged V8
Power: 404 kW
Torque: 680 Nm
Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 4.4
Top speed (km/h): 300
Fuel consumption (l/100km): 12.3 (claimed)
Miles Downard