Generation Gap: Jaguar XJR-S vs. Jaguar XKR-S

When most car geeks hear “Jaguar” and “sports car” in the same sentence, the immortal E-Type (or XK-E as it was known Stateside) is the most likely machine to pop into their heads. They might also think of the exotic XJ220, the company’s first postwar series of sports cars (the XK120/140/150), or any of the prewar S.S. models. But anything post-E-Type? They’re usually dismissed as heavy, softly sprung grand tourers.

But that’s not necessarily true, especially now with the arrival of the 2012 XKR-S. But this angrier alloy animal isn’t the first caliente version of one of Conventry’s GTs. In the early ‘90s, Jag offered a limited edition hardcore(-ish) version of the long-serving XJS (known as the XJ-S prior to 1993) dubbed the XJR-S. Is it any match for the brand’s new killer kitten? Let’s break it down.