Chris Harris Slithers About on Wet Track in Jaguar XKR-S GT

The Jaguar XKR-S GT does not have a single horsepower over the regular XKR-S. Its straight line performance figures are better, though, as are its cornering characteristics, so Chris Harris has had a go in one to tell us how usefully the extra cash you’re forced to shell out has been spent, and if the upgrades work.

Not that it really matters, frankly, because only 30 will be made for the US and Canada, while an additional 10 right-hand drive examples will be delivered to UK buyers – that’s all!

Harris’ first impression of the car around a very slippery wet track is that its steering is much more precise, benefitting from the use of an F-Type-sourced steering rack.  After the conditions turn drier, he has another go at the wheel of the GT, this time really pushing it much harder, and relishing in the experience.

He ends up calling it “a complete weapon” in the dry! Check out the video after the virtual jump, below, to see why exactly it was that he ended up thinking that.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

Jaguar E-Type Coupe and XK120 Found Resting in Barns

What many of us would do to own a classic sports car like the Jaguar E-Type, yet some people have these models locked up, rotting in barns literally for decades - can you believe that? This royal-blue 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 (Chassis 40) was abandoned in a barn in 1974 where it stayed until it was discovered by the Coys Auction house in France last month

“This is a really amazing find which has got the Jaguar world really excited," said Chris Routledge, Managing Partner at Coys, "The 1961 car is in amazing condition considering where it was left and interest is going off the scale."

The mechanic who works for the family that owns the car reported that the E-Type was last started about 5 years ago, but it still turns over freely. "Bodily, the car seems to be very solid, having been stored in such a dry climate all these years. The doors shut wonderfully and the bonnet gap is excellent," says Coys, which added that the interior of the car is in "very good order".

The classic Jag sports a 3.8-liter twin cam engine, which when new, produced 265bhp, hooked up to a Moss four-speed gearbox driving the rear pair of wheels.

The E-Type barn-find will be placed up for sale at the Coys Spirit of Motoring Auction on Saturday, October 26, at the Ascot Racecourse in the UK, where it will be joined by dozens of other models, including a second Jaguar that was locked up for years.

"We are also selling an XK120 Roadster reported to have a competition history that was found in a lock-up in Essex," said Routledge. "The last XK that we sold in this condition made over £90,000 and we expect the E-Type to do exceptionally well.”

The 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster is fitted with a 3.4-liter twin overhead camshaft engine, producing 160bhp via twin SU carburettors, and in its prime time, was said to be capable of 126mph (203km/h) and 0-60mph (96km/h) in 10.0 seconds. It is estimated that the car will fetch £15,000 - £25,000 (US$24,300-US$40,500 or €17,800-€29,500).

PHOTO GALLERY

Drive Goes Inside Jaguar’s Nürburgring Test Facility, Samples the XKR-S

Maybe some of you are thinking, “oh, it's just another Nürburgring video where a lucky chap is having a blast driving a powerful car”. Bear with us, though, because it's much more than that.
In fact, it’s a look at the inside workings of a car maker's dedicated Nordschleife test center. Jaguar has been visiting the 13-mile-long track for more than two decades and it was one of the first manufacturers to set up shop there, just outside the track’s northern loop, in 2003.