Originally Jaguar said there would be just 30 examples of the hardcore coupé; now there might be 50
The £130,000 limited-edition Jaguar XKR-S GT production run will be extended if there is enough demand for extra cars.
Initially, Jaguar had insisted that only 30 examples of the hardcore, race-derived XK would be built, with all of them being sold in the US and Canada.
However, just 24 hours after the car’s unveiling at the New York motor show, Jaguar boss Adrian Hallmark confirmed that capacity was available to build an additional 20 cars if customers wanted.
“It is possible the production run will reach 50,” said Hallmark. “The initial cap was set to define the business case but, thankfully, there is room for more.”
Jaguar claims the XKR-S GT, powered by a 542bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8, can lap the Nürburgring in under 7min 40sec, about the same time as the fastest recorded lap by the Ferrari 458 Italia.
“The real beauty of this project has been that it has extended our understanding of the elements involved in making a car go so fast, and that will feed back into all our road car programmes,” said Hallmark.
“We could have got more power from the engine and achieved lap times that way, for instance, but we focused on driveability, aero enhancements, weight saving, brake performance and the like.
“All of these things make the GT a more fun car to drive and workable for on-road use. We’ve always been known for making cars that are known for their driving pleasure, but this project has further deepened our understanding of how to do that.”