"The XK8 was launched in 1996 to replace the XJ-S. Two body styles were produced, a coupé and a convertible and the car was the first in the Jaguar line-up to use Jaguar's newly developed V8 engine. In 2000, the supercharged XKR was added to the range. This produced a staggering 503 horsepower, a subtle rear spoiler, wire mesh front grille and red exterior emblems were identifying features. The XKR's engine was made in England, the ignition system was from NGK in Japan, the transmission was a Mercedes-Benz 722.6, the lighting system was by Valeo in France and the supercharger was made by Eaton in the USA, it was truly a world car. The redesigned XK was styled by Jaguar's chief designer Ian Callum. The standard XK model has a limited top speed of 158mph whilst the XKR had a limited top speed of 174mph. Mike Cross built this limited production road car, which actually made its debut at the 2010 festival. He gave it stronger suspension uprights for tighter camber control, stiffer springs (28% front, 32% rear), recalibrated adaptive dampers and slightly wider wheels (up half an inch at the front, 1 inch at the rear), the back rims wearing 10mm wider rubber too. The front and rear spoilers are the same as those available on other XKRs equipped with the optional cosmetic Speed Pack, but the deeper side sills are unique to the 75. Every car came in Stratus Grey, but the silver wheelarch eyebrows are optional. A new exhaust unleashes a mightier roar, hinting at the extra engine power under the bonnet. When Jaguar introduced the new 5.0-litre engines, the supercharged version actually had to be slightly detuned to preserve the transmission. But the XKR 75 got an improved torque converter, which meant the engine was allowed to deliver the full 523bhp, up from 503bhp in lesser Jags.
Understood to be one of only 20 right hand drive examples of the 75 edition built, this fabulous example which was a mighty £85,500 when new is presented in Stratus Grey (as they all were) with black leather interior. These cars had a limited top speed of 174 mph and 0-60mph was achieved in a staggering 4.4 seconds! Its bodywork has a front splitter, extended sills, a rear defuser and a larger rear spoiler. It is fitted with red calipers and 20 inch Vortex forged alloys. With its superb Supercharged V8 producing 523bhp, this exhilarating Jaguar sounds fabulous and is great to drive at a fraction of the cost when new."