One-of-20 Jaguar XKR 75 Edition for sale

Most carmakers these days can switch their fleet over to electric power without too many customers batting an eyelid. Not everyone cares if an eco box ditches its teeny tiny three-cylinder turbo engine for a battery and e-motor setup (unless it’s a GR Yaris, then obviously we’d descend into pandemonium), and nor is it quite as sacrilegious if a manufacturer treats its EVs as separate entities to its piston-powered models. It’s only when carmakers known for big, brawny engines decide to ditch an entire combustion range for electric-only cars that some of us reach for the nearest pitchfork.

That’s a situation Jaguar has sort of found itself in – and sort of hasn’t. The company was the first major premium carmaker to bring a skateboard-style EV to market with the brilliant I-Pace in 2018, which still manages to hold its own against much newer and more advanced rivals. So the firm’s commitment to a fully-electric lineup come 2025 didn’t necessarily come as a huge shock (given the lacklustre performance of more than a few old-fashioned models), but it doesn’t mean the V8 thunder cats of old won’t be sorely missed. The F-Type is due to bow out at the end of the year, with a limited-edition R 75 sending the V8 sports car off in style by celebrating the 75th birthday of the XK120. But if the £110k cost of entry puts you off, then why not consider this 75th anniversary V8 special for a third of the price?

When the XKR 75 debuted at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed, it looked nothing more than a snazzier trim line to mark the firm’s 75th trip around the sun. Styling changes were minimal, with 20-inch Vortex forged alloy wheels similar to those found on the limited-run XKR-S and the lightest-of-light visual tweaks comprising of sportier skirts and body colour trim where there was once chrome. A subtle sticker set upped the level of sportiness, contrasting the Stratus Grey paintwork with white triangular decals on top of the wheel arches, but these were an option clearly not ticked on the car we have here.

It is, however, a very special Jag. Peel back the modest visual enhancements and you’ll find some serious hardware upgrades, such as machined aluminium front and rear suspension uprights for a 25 per cent improvement in camber stiffness, plus tweaks to the adaptive damper software and a drop in ride height by 15mm. Spring and damper rates were firmed up by 28 per cent at the front and 32 and the rear, while a recalibration of the Active Differential Control software aided high-speed stability.

Then there were the engine upgrades. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 gained 20hp over the standard model, bringing peak power up to 530hp at 6,000rpm. The regular XKR reputedly had to be detuned to stop the gearbox from blowing up, but the 75 special brought an upgraded six-speed torque converter that could handle everything the blown V8 had to offer, allowing engineers to dial the engine back up to its full potential. Acceleration was rapid, with 62mph coming about in 4.4 seconds, and while the limiter was lifted from 155mph to 174, reviews at the time claimed it could potentially hit 200mph without electronic interference.

Wouldn’t know that just by looking at it, would you? Not to say it isn’t a pretty thing, because the second generation XKR – especially with the light visual modifications on the 75 – is ageing rather nicely. And although it’s properly rare, with only 20 of the 75 built coming to the UK in right-hand drive, the £36,995 asking price seems quite sensible. That does make it the most expensive XKR on the classifieds at the time of writing, and you can pick up this even rarer XKR-S for a £12k discount, but that’s an awful lot of power and performance for the money. And when Jaguar does eventually make the switch to an EV-only lineup, there’s a fair chance demand for a grumbly old cat will go through the roof…