in focus jaguar xkr-s & e-type
88 Auto India august 2012
BATTLE
ROYALE
The magnificent Jaguar E-Type V12 goes head to head with the new XKR-S. Which Jag icon will come out superior? Text: Cyrus Dhabhar Photos: Makarand Baokar
august 2012 Auto India 89
in focus jaguar xkr-s & e-type
t
he Jaguar E-Type has long been considered by many to be the most beautiful car ever made. With its low stance and perfect lines, one can only imagine the shock and awe people must have felt when they saw it for the first time at the Geneva Auto show in 1961. And even today, an E-Type can stop as much traffic and can attract as much attention as Her Majesty, the Queen walking down the road.
90 Auto India august 2012
Fast forward 50 years and Jaguars of the present look just as beautiful but most certainly a lot more aggressive. We are talking about the new 2012 XKR-S, the most powerful Jaguar ever made and a spiritual successor to the mighty E-Type. For the first time, we brought the two together head to head in a battle for the ultimate Jaguar icon. From the look of things, the two cars are not that different in terms of design; with
their long swooping bonnets, wide wheel arches and curves that would put Kate Beckinsale to shame, a low slung stance and of course, four exhaust pipes each for the V12 and V8 Coventry Symphony, the two seem like they were created by the same person or at least the same thought processes. And to be honest, we are glad that the way Jaguar works has not changed through the years. They have seen some very
bad times but just as the children’s tale talks about King Bruce of Scotland who got inspired by the spider’s resilience and fought back, Jaguar seems to have fought back everytime and given the world something to drool and lust over.
Although the two cars are miles apart in terms of technology, the basic layout remains the same. The front-engined, rear-wheel-drive setup screams of driving pleasure, and boy oh boy, do these cars deliver on that promise. The Jaguar E-Type august 2012 Auto India 91
in focus jaguar xkr-s & e-type
although a few decades old now, feels just as taut and balanced as most new cars feel. The 5.3-litre V12 with its four Stromberg carburettors making 295bhp and almost 400Nm of torque was on par with the greatest supercars of its time and enough to keep up with most modern sports cars today. What strikes you in an E-Type though is the sheer raw mechanical feel in every aspect. The way one shuts the doors, the way the engine 92 Auto India august 2012
wakes itself to life, the click of the gears slotting into place – all this is sheer raw engineering at work. There are no complex electronics, no electronic brains, just simple mechanics that make men want to coo and moan like a kid in a toy store. The XKR-S on the other hand, is like old wine in a new bottle. Although very similar in terms of layout to the E-Type, the XKR-S has a very distinctive identity of its own. For one,
the XKR-S has become too scientific, too serious and just a tad bit ungainly. Not for a moment does this mean it is a bad car – the reality is quite the opposite – but things like spoilers and exposed carbon fibre are not the calling card of a Jaguar and never should be. Yes, the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 producing 550bhp and a tyre shredding 680Nm of torque is biblical and the noise made by the quadruple exhausts is more than enough to
wake Freddy Mercury up from his grave and make him start playing the piano again, and the one we drove was painted in Jaguar’s flashy new French Racing Blue, but the whole point of buying a Jaguar over anything else is the fact that they are true blooded, stiff lipped gentlemen’s cars. The XKR-S completely defies all that Jaguar traditionally stands for, but as much as we disagree with the garnish on the car, we must say the
in focus jaguar xkr-s & e-type
overall effect is simply exquisite. These two legendary icons then, although from the same stable, are two very different horses. One is a thoroughbred old-timer with enough experience in its heart to put modern supercars to shame and one is a newcomer challenging the ‘alphamale’ for the top spot. Both cars are great, of that there is no question, but if public opinion is anything to go by, the E-Type wins it, every time!
94 Auto India august 2012