2014 Jaguar XKR-S GT Gets Track-Focused Upgrades – Video

Heading to the 2013 New York Auto Show is Jaguar’s hottest version of the XK Coupe yet, the 550-hp XKR-S GT.

Powered by a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine, the XKR-S GT is being branded as a track-ready, street legal version of the XK Coupe by the British automaker. It was developed by the Jaguar ETO division, the automaker’s in-house specialty vehicle group, and will see a limited production run of just 30 units in North America – 25 to the U.S., five to Canada.

The 550 hp, 502 lb-ft of torque V8 is mated to a six-speed ZF transmission that allows the XKR-S GT to reach 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, and an electronically limited top speed of 186 mph.

But to make a vehicle track ready doesn’t mean it just packs a whole lot of power; it needs to handle and stop just as well. Jaguar addressed those issues with a carbon ceramic brake system, the first time such a brake system has been installed onto a Jaguar production vehicle. Sporting 15.7 inch rotors in the front with six-piston calipers, the rear also benefits from 15-inch discs with four-piston calipers.

Suspension changes to the XKR-S GT include a wider front track, increased camber, revised bushings, a new steering system, and a faster steering ratio. Height-adjustable dampers sport a race-inspired twin spring system with the spring rates increased 68 percent in the front and 25 percent in the rear compared to the factory XK Coupe.

As one can tell by the photo, the XKR-S GT also sees plenty of aerodynamic enhancements aimed to increase downforce with the addition of a carbon-fiber front splitter, dive planes, extended wheel arch spats, an elevated rear wing, rear diffuser, and an aluminum undertray.

Pricing for the XKR-S GT will start at $174,000 and deliveries will begin in August.