NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Jaguar XKR-S GT

Meet the new Jaguar XKR-S GT, an ultimate high performance Jag and the first car from the British marque to make use of carbon-ceramic disc brakes. Wider, lower, stiffer, lighter and faster than the 'regular' $299,000 XKR-S, it doesn't take a car buff to see that this Jag was developed specifically for race track use.

While the Jaguar XKR-S GT retains the 404kW/680Nm supercharged 5.0-litre petrol V8 engine of its more prosaic sibling, it gets a trio of serious upgrades – brakes, suspension, aero bodywork – that help it lap the infamous Nurburgring in under 7mins 40secs claims Jaguar, which is a good 10 to 15 seconds faster than the XKR-S.

Jaguar's aero-inspired track tool sprints from 0-100km/h slightly faster – now 4.1 seconds compared to the previous car's 4.2 – which is due to the slightly lower weight. More than 21kg was saved by switching to carbon-ceramic brakes for a kerb weight of 1650kg at most.

The brakes were developed by Brembo and comprise new calipers, new pads, and colossal new cross drilled carbon-ceramic discs measuring 398mm fore and 380mm aft. Six and four-piston calipers are positioned front and back respectively and deliver improved stopping power and "better pedal feel and fade resistance" says Jaguar.

A new electronic 'pre-fill' system has also been developed for the brake package, designed to prime the brakes for maximum punishment. It works with the stability control system to pre-fill and pressurise the brakes whenever the driver lifts off the throttle, creating "sure and consistent pedal travel and feel".

As is clear from the photos, the Jaguar XKR-S GT is festooned with carbon-fibre aero aids, including a 60mm front splitter extension flanked by twin lateral vanes, plus a large rear wing and diffuser that combine to create up to 145kg of downforce at its (electronically limited) top speed of 300km/h.

Jaguar's ETO hot shop (Engineered To Order) focussed on increasing downforce to allow higher cornering speeds. With the addition of an aluminium undertray that channels air smoothly underneath the vehicle, the car is one of Jaguar's most slippery.

Bespoke suspension developed on similar principles to those used on the F-Type sees the car's front track wider by 52mm. The addition of new height-adjustable adaptive dampers and Eibach springs help deliver stiffness improvements of 68 per cent front and 25 per cent rear, while a more direct steering ratio is also part of the deal.

The combined result is increased lateral suspension stiffness says Jaguar, resulting in sharper response.

Jaguar has also increased the contact patch with the road, as wider 20-inch alloy wheels are shod with 255/35 front and 305/30 aspect ratio Pirelli Corsa tyres.

Just 30 of the cars will be built to cater to demand from North American customers who wanted something that could handle regular race track abuse, but also be driven on the road.

However motoring.com.au learnt that the car can be tailored to right-hand drive and could be delivered to Australia if conditions were ripe.

Jaguar Product PR Manager, Jonathan Griffiths, explained that if orders for the car came from other markets, it could be sent anywhere in the world.

"The US wanted it basically, they requested it," said Griffiths. "So we developed a vehicle for their market. There's a big market for track-based cars in the US, so they asked the ETO [Engineered to Order] team to go away and develop something that would work on the road as well as the track. And this is the result."

However it wouldn't be cheap if offered in Australia. Priced at $174,000 in the USA, the XKR-S GT is significantly more expensive than $132,000 for the XKR-S. So if it were offered in Australia the GT model would be priced well above the $299,000 XKR-S in this country.

Tim Krieger, Brand Manager for Jaguar Land Rover Australia, said if there was demand for the aerodynamic speed demon, the local operation would not rule it out.

"We wouldn't say no, we would consider this model based on customer feedback and demand," stated Krieger.