Nine 'lives' for Jaguar's dressed-up XK-S

Sales of Jaguar's appealing and purposeful XK have slipped a little in recent months. No surprise there; cars selling in much larger numbers than the Jaguar have been taking a market-enforced dive.

All the same, for this year to date the XK has sold barely half the numbers it sold during the first two months of 2008, so it's time to bring out something to revitalise the sportscar's market appeal.

That 'something' is the XK-S, a limited edition model chockers full of styling enhancements -- because the bog-standard XK is such a wallflower!

Based on the naturally-aspirated XK with 4.2-litre V8 coupe, the XK-S remains priced at $209,400, but offers features worth $25,000, according to Jaguar.

These additional features comprise: 20-inch 'Senta' alloy wheels, soft-grain leather trim, 16-way adjustment for the front seats, brushed-aluminium gearshift knob, bright-finish pedals, revised front and rear aprons, chrome-trimmed side vents, bright-finish mesh inserts for the upper and lower grilles, special exhaust pipe finishers, appliqués on the vehicle's flanks and exclusive 'S' badging.

For the nine cars allocated for Australia, only three colours will be available -- Indigo blue, Ultimate Black or Liquid Silver. Interior trim colour choices are limited to Caramel or Warm Charcoal.

"We are very pleased to be able to offer Jaguar customers the XK-S," says Chris Lidis, General Manager of Jaguar Australia.

"The specification is quite unique, and very exclusive. It combines outstanding performance and dramatic beauty with individual touches of craftsmanship and equipment that lift it to another level."