Watch out Porsche, here comes Jaguar's XKR-S GT

It’s an RS model designed for the track, but features a comfy-looking cabin, SatNav and electric seats. So, not quite a stripped-out GT3 RS competitor, but in every other respects this is Jag’s hardest and most focused sports car.

It’s been revealed this afternoon on the eve of the New York Auto Show, where Jaguar Land Rover will officially launch the new XJR and second-generation Range Rover Sport.

But let’s get back to the XKRS-GT.

Designed for the US market, where just 30 units will be supplied, it’s based on the XKR-S. So that means it’s powered by the same 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine delivering 542bhp and 680Nm of torque.

Developed by Jaguar’s ETO division, it’s the ultimate road-going / track-ready version of the XK coupe featuring a bespoke aerodynamic body kit designed to keep the XKRS-GT pinned to the tarmac during high-speed cornering.

And boy, can it corner. Jaguar claims a ‘Ring time of under 7:40 minutes, some 10 seconds slower than the latest 911 GT3 but making it more than respectable for a pukka track car. While it accelerates from zero to 60mph in 3.9 seconds (down from 4.2 seconds), much of the credit for its ‘Ring pace can be placed on those aero changes – it develops up to 145kg of down-force – but also its carbon ceramic brakes (the first on a production Jaguar).

An Eibach tuned suspension – 68 per cent stiffer at the front and 25 per cent at the rear – helps maximise the performance of its tyres, which are 20-inch Pirelli P Zero Corsas mounted on lightweight alloy rims. The XKRS-GT also features a 52mm wider front track and the quicker steering rack from the F-TYPE.

Although the carbon ceramic brakes help shed 21kg of unsprung weight, the XKR-S is no lightweight, tipping the scales at more than 1,700kg.

Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar’s Global Brand Director said, “The XKR-S GT is the most extreme iteration of the Jaguar R Brand’s performance focus. Utilising race-car derived technology, all-aluminium construction and an uncompromised approach to aerodynamic efficiency, the result is a car as capable on the track as it is exhilarating on the road.”

A UK version of the XKRS-GT is being considered, depending on customer interest.