Considered a modern classic since its unveiling more than a quarter-century ago, the Jaguar XK8 offered the well-heeled buyer a heady cocktail of high performance, a sumptuous interior, and head-turning styling in both coupe and convertible form. That’s all still true today, with the exception that the buyer’s wallet can be considerably thinner. Though it’s old enough to be considered a true collector car, the XK8 can still be found at used-car prices, with nice examples available at the northern end of four figures.
For enthusiasts who had spent decades debating whether the XJS was a fitting successor to the drop-dead-gorgeous E-type, the XK8 was a welcome return to the kind of voluptuous lines that had defined Jaguar for decades. The purists did have something new to chew over, though: Unlike its straight-six and V-12 predecessors, the XK8 broke with tradition with its 290-hp, all-aluminum, 48-valve V-8, a configuration Jaguar had never before used.
One remnant of its past that Jaguar Cars was trying hard to shed was its reputation for poor quality, a hangover from the dark British Leyland days. Ford had spent $2.38 billion to acquire Jaguar in 1989, and then poured in countless more dollars to try to reverse the brand’s slide toward oblivion. One place those investments could be seen was in the XK8, codename Project X100, the first new Jaguar wholly designed under the Blue Oval’s ownership.
“The cat is back,” Jaguar proclaimed in its promotional materials, which heavily emphasized the new car’s slinky curves. “In a single leap, the XK8 reclaims Jaguar’s domain amongst the world’s most exciting, high-performance sports cars. Every graceful line expresses dynamism and instinctive poise. Every effortless movement confirms the XK8
