Poll: Should Jaguar revive the XKSS?
We dream up our own modern-day version of Steve McQueen's favorite sports car
/ By Matt Stone
/ illustrators: Mark Stehrenberger
/
Article provided by: Motor Trend Magazine
What if Jaguar were to build a modern-day XKSS? This is what we think it might look like. It's smaller, lighter, and sportier than today's XKR, the design blending traditional and advanced styling cues. The front-end design recalls the look established by the Jaguar R Coupe concept of 2001. We envision our XKSS falling somewhere in between a BMW Z4 and Z8 in terms of size, and it makes big use of Jaguar's newest aluminum-intensive construction. Power comes from a high-output, but naturally aspirated, version of the current AJ-V8; figure 4.5 liters and 400 to 450 horsepower, backed by a six-speed manual transaxle.
Our XKSS's cabin combines D- and E-Type cues with modern-day instrumentation and ergonomics. There's still plenty of "timber and hide" to go around, but this Jag doesn't bother with extraneous goodies or technology that would add complication, cost, or weight.
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