The Jaguar XK8 was released in October 1996 after some 5 years in development. This extroardinary car was heralded as the true successor the legendary E-Type or XKE as it was known in the United States. The name XK8 was chosen specifically to recall that heritage. The "8" refers to the all new V-8 engine. Contrary to the accepted wisdom of its new owners at Ford Motor Company which says "Never release a new model and a new engine at the same time," Jaguar decided to do just that. Some $270 million was spent to develop the brilliant new DOHC V-8 engine over the course of several years and more than 200 prototypes! The incredible flowing lines of this beautiful cat were developed entirely in house. All the major car magazines welcomed Jaguar's new 'luxury sports car' with glowing reviews. Below are excerpts from just a few of those reviews as gleaned from the compilation in Brookland's "Road Test Limited Edition".

"The long wait is over, and the Jaguar XK8 is worth the wait... this is a totally new car and the stunning styling emphasizes that fact... The team has done a great job with the interior, providing an environment to suit both the enthusiast and the boulevard cruiser. Jaguar's state of the art suspension... the XK8 is all about refining that refinement." Road and Track Magazine May 1996 "... the obvious draw of its elegant lines, class bending refinement and extraordinary ride and handling... Jaguar has endowed this car with a delicacy to its steering and suspension that makes it almost as engaging to drive at 20mph down to the shops as it is at 70mph through a favourite bend... Agile yet civilized, a successful tradeoff between comfort and fun." Autocar magazine October 1996 Comparison: Aston Martin DB7, BMW 840Ci, Jaguar XK8: "It [the Jaguar] wins because it looks, goes, handles and rides the best (it raises the game here) and costs the least by a substantial margin." Car Magazine November 1996 "Jaguar's new XK8 is a spectacularly good car... It is ten times more beautiful than the XJS and it offers straightline performance, roadholding and handling that challenge everything in the category from the Mercedes SL500 and the Lexus SC400 to its own sister ship, the Aston Martin DB7... The XK8 looks like a sports car, goes like a sports car, stops like a sports car and does everything a sports car is supposed to do..." Automobile Magazine November 1996 "This V8 really purrs, with the muted sound of ripping cloth filtering through to the interior the harder the throttle is pressed... unflappable best sums up the handling composure of the XK8... Jaguar has a winner on its hands that will doubtless tug buyers away from competing BMW 8-series and the Mercedes-Benz SL models..." Road and Track Magazine November 1996 "The XK8 convertible has finally arrived, a day for Jaguar faithfuls everywhere to rejoice, because the all-new XK8 is everything its preintroduction hype promised - and then some... Smooth and responsive, the AJ-V8 cranks out 290 horses at 6100 RPM with a healthy 90% of the 290 pound-feet of torque on call from 1400 rpm all the way to 6400 rpm... which allows the XK8 to sprint from 0-60 in just 6.7 seconds... the XK8 is likely to attract other Jaguar owners but also those who may be shopping for a Mercedes SL, Lexus SC400, BMW 840 Porsche 911, or even its new cousin, the Aston Martin DB7." Motor Trend Magazine November 1990 Road Test Comparison: Mercedes SL 320, BMW M3, Porsche 911 Carrera, Jaguar XK8: "The Jaguar has got the all-round grand touring balance right and compared to the Porsche and Mercedes, it's well priced too. It can't match the 911 or M3 for sheer raw power, but it's a lot more sporting than the Merc and its equal in refinement. For those reasons it has to be the one we'd really plead with the plod to let us take back to England." Top Gear Magazine May 1997 The 4.0 liter AJ-V8 is big news. Just like the units from BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Lincoln and Cadillac, Jaguar's first-ever V-8 is an all-alloy dohc design with 4 valves per cylinder. It bests them all, however, in terms of specific horsepower and torque output. The Jaguar folks are careful to define the XK8 as a 'luxury sports car'. The term fits!" Road and Track Specials 1997

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