Jaguar unveils the XK-RS Concept 550 horsepower convertible - Gizmag
It's the most powerful road-going Jaguar convertible ever and demonstrates how Jaguar's luxury GT road car can be transformed into a thundering 200-mph supercar. Developed by Michigan-based Rocketsports Racing in cooperation with Jaguar North America, the XK-RS concept is based on the Jaguar XKR sports car which has twice won the Trans-Am Manufacturers' Championship. Engineers at Rocketsports' Lansing, Michigan workshop took the already-potent Jaguar AJ-V8 Trans-Am race engine and increased its displacement by stroking it out from 4. 5 liters to 5. 0 liters. "Many of the lessons we learned in developing the 650 bhp normally aspirated Jaguar AJ-V8 race engine for the R-Performance XKR Trans-Am race car were incorporated in the engine for the XK-RS," explained Gentilozzi. To make the car more involving for the sports car enthusiast, the standard six-speed ZF automatic transmission was replaced with a five-speed manual transaxle. Rocketsports also used the team's considerable expertise in high-speed aerodynamics with its Jaguar XKR Trans-Am race cars, modifying the production XKR's body to ensure ground-hugging stability at very high speeds. Source: www.gizmag.com
