[Cartoday]
Jaguar’s high super saloon, the XF-R, has briefly burst out of the development center and into the limelight in a high-speed cameo appearance at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The XF-R made a number of high-speed runs up the Goodwood’s famous hill, with the company’s chief test driver and chassis development boss Mike Cross at the helm.Despite the car’s dramatic entrance at what is considered one of the most prominent motoring events in the world, officials at Jaguar are still reluctant to confirm the XFR’s existence.
The car that emerged at Goodwood has been described as a ‘sports prototype’, but sources UK publicationAutocar (to whom we can attribute these pictures) claim that sources close to the XF-R they have spoken to have hinted that a production model could emerge in the first quarter of 2009.Although technical details are sparse, it’s believed that the XF-R will feature a new supercharged 5,0-litre V8 with direct fuel injection.
This unit is said to develop 373 kW, capable of cracking 0-100 km/h in roughly 4,5 seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 250 km/h. There has also been talk of the Gaydon-based firm offering prospective owners the option of removing the limiter and, in doing so, unleashing a vehicle with the potential to hit speeds in the region of 290 km/h.
This unit will initially be mated with the company’s six-speed automatic transmission, but Jaguar has an arrangement with ZF to supply new eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox at a later date.The XF-R will have a lower ride height and stiffer springs than the current XF SV8. Stylistically, the new car will feature more vents and grilles to aid cooling, more aggressively-styled bumpers fore and aft, and will roll on a set of 20-inch alloy wheels.