The Jaguar XKR-S has been awarded the title of ‘2011 Sports Car of the Year’ by the respected German motoring magazine, Auto Bild Sportscars, following a poll of more than 70,000 of its readers.
The XKR-S – the most powerful production car Jaguar has built – competed in the ‘Production Sports Car Coupes’ category, where it took 14.3 per cent of all votes, ahead of the Mercedes C63 AMG and Audi RS5 in their home market.
The XKR-S Coupe was recently tested by Auto Bild on the famous Nürburgring Nordshleife, which it lapped in just 7-minutes 51-seconds; its 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine produces 550PS and 680Nm, enabling it to sprint to 60mph in just 4.2-seconds before going on to reach an electronically limited top speed of 186mph (300km/h). To ensure minimal lift and maximum stability at such high speeds the XKR-S has a bespoke aerodynamic pack.
Competing for the 10th ‘Auto Bild Sports Car of the Year’ awards were a total of 173 cars in 17 categories, including modified and low-volume cars. In its category the Jaguar XKR-S finished ahead of 14 respected competitors. The awards were presented on Friday 25th November at the Essen Motor Show, Germany.
“Winning the first prize in a segment dominated by premium German competitors makes us particularly proud“, said Mike Wright, Executive Director Jaguar Land Rover. “The vote for the XKR-S proves that Jaguar’s desire to build powerful but beautiful cars resonates extremely well with those who have a passion for sports and performance cars.”
The XKR-S has been developed at the Jaguar Test and Engineering Centre at the Nürburgring. It epitomises the attributes key to all Jaguar’s GT cars: explosive power, inspiring handling, relaxed comfort and discrete luxury.
The XKR-S Convertible was also recently revealed at the Los Angeles Auto show. It boasts the same performance credentials as the Coupe, including suspension and electronics changes designed to increase both agility and driver reward.
The XKR-S Convertible is expected to replicate the sales success of its Coupe sibling where the volume of customer orders has far exceeded original expectations in major markets around the world.
