British car manufacturer Jaguar exhibits its fastest, most powerful and agile sports saloon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.
The XFR-S saloon makes its European debut in Geneva, and is the second model in Jaguar’s ultra-high performance R-S range. The XFR-S incorporates engineering features from both the XKR-S and the all-new F-TYPE two-seater sports car to create the most driver-focused, agile and responsive iteration of Jaguar’s award-winning XF saloon range.
Showcased alongside the XFR-S saloon in Geneva will also be Jaguar’s ‘new icon’ – the F-TYPE, first unveiled in Paris last year, and the first two-seater sports car from Jaguar since the E-type was launched in 1961.
To celebrate the F-TYPE’s sporting bloodline, three V8S examples were driven from Jabbeke in Belgium to Geneva, in convoy with an XK 120, C-type, D-type and E-type. Jabbeke has particular significance to Jaguar as it was there, in 1953, that Norman Dewis drove a modified XK 120 at 172.4mph along a closed five mile stretch of highway to record a new national speed record. In homage to that record, one of the F-TYPEs completed its own speed trial. Driven by Andy Wallace – Jaguar Le Mans winner in 1988 – in just under two miles the F-TYPE V8S accelerated from 0-179mph and braked back to zero again. An identical car was then piloted by a frugal driving expert from Jabbeke to Geneva, where over 835km (519 miles) it recorded 7.9l/100km (35.6mpg).
