Ten track-ready Jaguar XKR-S GT supercars will be produced in right-hand drive and sold in the UK, boosting the car's initial planned production by one-third.
At its New York motor show unveiling in April, Jaguar said production of the hardcore XKR-S GT would be capped to 30 left-hand-drive units (25 for the US, five for Canada), though left the door agar for additional vehicles from other markets if there was demand.
Today's announcement will see production expand to at least 40, with UK customers asked to part with £135,000 ($229,000) for the most track-focused road car in Jaguar's history, with the first deliveries scheduled for October.
An evolution of the XKR-S (itself an uprated version of the XKR), the Jaguar XKR-S GT features a host of aerodynamic and suspension developments designed to increase downforce and optimise the car's cornering ability.
Enhancing the XKR-S GT's aerodynamic efficiency is a racecar-style carbonfibre front splitter and wheel arch extensions, aggressively styled twin dive-planes, bonnet louvres, and an optimised aluminium front valance to smooth airflow under the car.
A carbonfibre rear wing generates up to 145kg of downforce at the car's electronically limited 300km/h top speed.
Despite the Jaguar XKR-S GT's 404kW/680Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 being no more powerful than the one found in the regular XKR-S, the aerodynamic enhancements and some other weight-saving measures see the GT's 0-100km/h sprint time fall around three-tenths of a second to 4.1secs.
The XKR-S GT is equipped with a fully active performance exhaust system with valves that open under load, enhancing gas flow, optimising power output and enriching the car's aural character.
The front and rear suspension arms, uprights, wheel bearings, sub-frame and bushings are all new. Featuring a motorsport-derived twin-spring system, the front and rear spring rates are 68 per cent and 25 per cent stiffer respectively than those of the XKR-S.
The front track is 52mm wider, while the steering rack – inherited from the new Jaguar F-Type – has a faster ratio, giving a more immediate response to driver inputs.
The XKR-S GT also becomes the first production Jaguar to be fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes as standard. The internally ventilated, cross-drilled lightweight discs measure 398mm at the front and 380mm at the rear, and combine with bright yellow?six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers.
The carbon-ceramic brakes cut 21kg from the car's weight and sit inside 20-inch gloss-black forged alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli Corsa performance tyres.
The Jaguar XKR-S GT recently made its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
