Jaguar XK8
XK8 proves Ford can make a purebred Jaguar
Few of the many cars that I test-drive each year, except for some oddities like the AM General Hummer and the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, actually stop traffic. But the 1997 Jaguar XK8 created such a stir wherever we went that I feared it might actually result in bloodshed.
As I waited to turn from a parking lot onto a busy street, drivers of three cars in a row stomped on the brakes and stared. That was my first day with the stunning new Jaguar, and the experience was repeated throughout a weeklong test drive.
Another time, after meeting a lovely British roadster of the same royal blue as my Jaguar XK8 coupe, I watched in the rear-view mirror as the passing driver twisted his head for a second glance. I feared he would rear-end the car in front of him. The Jaguar XK8, available as a coupe or convertible, replaces the recently retired XJS, the British company’s longest-running and best- selling sports car. But the Jaguar XK8 is far more modern, benefiting greatly from the deep pockets and the manufacturing and technical expertise of its parent, the Ford Motor Co. Indeed, the Jaguar XK8 would not even exist were it not for Ford’s purchase of Jaguar in 1990. Likewise, another venerable British sports car maker in dire straits, Aston Martin, has regrouped under Ford and developed a rarefied cousin of the Jaguar XK8, the new Aston Martin DB7. Jaguar’s adoption has raised fears that its new models would be thinly disguised Fords, another grand old name turned into little more than a marketing tool. But a weeklong test drive of a royal blue Jaguar XK8 coupe left me convinced that this sleek and sophisticated automobile is supremely worthy of the snarling-cat emblem on its bonnet. In designing this raving beauty, Jaguar designers set out to link the Jaguar XK8 to past Jaguars but not to build a nostalgic replica. “The heritage of good design is like DNA,” Jaguar’s styling director, Geoff Lawson, has said. “It must be traceable through history, but not necessarily an exact duplicate.” During my fling with the Jaguar XK8 coupe, Jaguar aficionados scrutinized its styling cues the way people examine the family traits of newborns. “She has her mother’s nose, but her father’s eyes,” they seemed to say. The oval grille opening, the prominent headlamps, the wheels and the manner in which the fenders swell to meet the hood recall Jaguar race cars of the past, like those that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans each year from 1954 to 1957. The Jaguar XK8’s long, lean body — at 187 inches, it is a full 10 inches longer than a Mercedes SL — along with its low-to-the-ground profile and extended hood, evokes comparisons with many classic Jaguars. The front and rear are reminiscent of the E-type, the work-of-art sports car that first appeared at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961; a convertible version was added this year to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. As sexy as its lines may be, my favorite part of the Jaguar XK8 is inside. This is surely the most sumptuous interior of any car I have driven. I reveled in its rich, warm ambiance. Words like “exquisite” and “sensuous” came to mind. A slab of highly polished burled walnut stretches across the instrument panel from door to door. The same lustrous wood alternates on the steering wheel with the creamy Connolly leather used for the upholstery. The shift knob on the familiar Jaguar J-shaped gear selector, likewise, is polished wood. The Jaguar XK8’s gauges, including an analog clock, are deeply recessed into the instrument panel. The seats look splendid, and they are splendidly comfortable. Simple in design, they narrow toward the top, providing excellent lateral support but giving the shoulders free movement. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes electrically, and multiple power seat adjustments make it a snap to find a comfortable seating position.
