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JAGUAR XK Convertible Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Generations: 4
First production year: 1996
Engines: Gasoline
Body style: Convertible (spider/spyder, cabrio/cabriolet, drop/open/soft top)
JAGUAR XK Cabrio photo gallery

The refined and powerful Jaguar XK convertible was a nice blend of performance, comfort and luxury. Revised for 2011, the XK featured several updates.

Both front and rear exterior styling changes were made and the interior was updated with a navigation system and a back-up camera as standard.

At the front, the updated XK featured slimmer headlamps fitted with LED running lights, a refreshed larger grille and small air scoops on the grille’s sides. The redesigned taillights were fitted with LED technology.

Well loaded in its base (XK) level, the Jaguar XK was equipped with 19-inch alloys, bi-xenon headlights, parking sensors (front and rear), keyless ignition, keyless entry, leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, automatic dual-zone climate control, a touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity, a premium Bower & Wilking sound system, a heated steering wheel and a power-retractable soft top and power rear windows.

Many stand-alone options were available, such as interior piano black wood, a heated windshield, adaptive cruise control, active headlights, a supercharged engine, bigger 20-inch alloys, more effective brakes, unique interior trims and different body colors. The XKR trim level added optional red brake callipers and included all the optional features available for the XK.

The interior offered upper-class comfort with a well-tailored cockpit and high-quality materials used throughout.

Safety wise, the standard equipment included ABS with brake assist, stability control, traction control, front-seat side airbags and pop-up rollover hoops.

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JAGUAR XK Convertible (X150) photo gallery

Ian Callum admitted that it took its inspiration from the famous E-Type when he designed the XK, and the open-top version was even more convincing than its coupe sibling.

When the 2006 XK was introduced, its predecessor, the XK8, was already ten-years-old. The British company knew that it needs a new vehicle, not just another facelift. With that said, Ian Callum and his team gathered and designed another astonishing vehicle, but with more aluminum to make the car more spirited to drive than the XK8. While they were working on the look, the engineering team worked hard to find a way to install a new 5.0-liter engine under the hood.

The design team took its inspiration from one of the most beautiful cars in the world, the E-Type. Enzo Ferrari himself made that statement about the E-Type, so blame him if I'm wrong. The oval-shaped grille of the XK resembled the glorious '60s model from Jaguar. Its odd-looking headlights were unique on the market, and the deep holes for the fog-lights looked like they were designed for the machine-guns in a James Bond car. The canvas-top offered good sound and thermal insulation.

Inside, the British luxury could have been at its best. Apart from some Ford Fiesta buttons and switches, everything else was luxurious. The expensive Connely leather and the wood trims completed an atmosphere of exclusivity and good taste. While the front seats were made for comfort, the rear ones were fit only for a small child since the legroom was almost non-existent.

Apart from the ferocious XKR, the rest of the range was fitted with a choice of three V8 engines. All of them were paired to a 6-speed automatic gearbox and sent the power to the rear wheels.

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JAGUAR XK8 Convertible photo gallery

While the XK8 Coupe was praised for its elegance and beauty, the convertible added more flavor to the British GT, and despite its higher price, it sold in way higher numbers than its fixed-roof sibling.

Usually, convertibles were more difficult to sell than their coupe siblings, but in the XK8’s situation, it was the exact opposite. The XK8 Convertible sold in twice the numbers of its fixed-roof sibling. That happened because people had bought it for driving pleasure, not thrashing the car around corners. But that didn’t mean that the open-top version couldn’t perform well on the street. After all, it had a new, improved V8 under its hood, a better gearbox, and upgraded suspension settings. The car was revealed in 2002 alongside its coupe sibling.

Ian Callum was still leading Jaguar’s styling department. He was also the man who penned the original version and couldn’t do too much to make it look better. Or, to be more precise, didn’t have to. Still, at the front, there was a slightly different styling for the lower bumper, which featured the same oval-shaped grille crossed by a chromed horizontal trim and a pair of flatter vertical ones. Jaguar also installed new, clear-lenses headlights, which drastically modernized the XK8’s look.

From its profile, the grand tourer boasted a cleaner design. It featured new side sills with flatter outer areas instead of the rounded ones used for the 1996 model year. Furthermore, Jaguar offered new options for the wheels, with up to 18 inches in diameter, and beefier rear tires. The body-colored door mirrors and handles made the car’s design look streamlined. Unlike other automakers who preferred to provide their convertibles with contrasting colors for the A-pillars, Jaguar painted them in the same shade as the rest of the bodywork. Out back, the new, clear taillights incorporated the fog lamps, which Jaguar removed from the lower part of the bumper. Instead, the car manufacturer installed parking lights on the outer corners.

Inside, the recessed dials on the wooden-covered dashboard were emphasized by silver encirclements. While the coupe featured seats with adjustable headrests, the convertible still sported a pair of seats with tall seatbacks. The automaker had chosen this solution so the customers could have their necks protected against the draft. Between the occupants, the XK8 Convertible featured a wide center console that housed the armrest with a storage area underneath it and the J-shaped gear selector of the automatic transmission. In the back, the bench seat profiled for two still didn’t provide too much legroom, while behind it was the storage area for the power-operated retractable canvas top.

Under the hood, Jaguar installed a newly developed 4.2-liter powerplant that sent its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic instead of a five-speed one like the non-facelifted version of the XK8.

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JAGUAR XK8 Convertible photo gallery

After Jaguar introduced the XK8 Coupe at the 1996 Geneva Motor Show, the British automaker unveiled the convertible version of it shortly after that.

Jaguar struggled financially in the 80s, but its management knew that the XJS was already an old vehicle. As a result, it developed a new platform based on the one it already had but improved in several areas. Then, in November 1989, Ford Motor Company bought Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin. The new owner appreciated the already developed platform and considered it a better fit for a new Aston Martin, which was the more precious brand with even older and outdated models. As a result, the sportier car manufacturer introduced the DB7 in 1994, and Jaguar had to wait more than a year to launch its XK8. After the introduction of the coupe version, the convertible came as the next logical step, especially since the automaker said that the new car followed the same principles as the legendary E-Type from the 60s.

Ian Callum was leading Jaguar’s design department, and he penned the XK8 in the ‘80s. But still, its ideas were right, and the final product came with the flowing lines of the bio-design era of the mid-90s. The car’s front fascia featured a wide oval-shaped grille adorned by a chromed horizontal slat. Jaguar installed a set of swept-back headlights, and the round fog lamps were underneath them.

From its profile, the XK8 Convertible featured a long hood followed by a raked windshield. There were no safety arches behind the A-pillars, making the car look like a proper successor for the E-Type. At the back, the designer created a short deck, and the retractable canvas roof could be retracted at the touch of a button in about 20 seconds at speeds of up to 10 mph (16 kph). Finally, on the rear fascia, Jaguar mounted rounded-shaped taillights that flanked the trunk lid. Underneath the bumper, the automaker installed a pair of chromed side exhausts.

Jaguar knew how to create great interiors, and the XK8 was no exception. It installed walnut trims all over the cabin: on the dashboard, the center stack, the center console, and on the door cards. There were three recessed dials in front of the driver and three smaller gauges on the center stack. The front bucket seats were covered in expensive Connely leather and were heated. In the back, the automaker installed a bench seat profiled for two due to the tall transmission tunnel. There was very limited legroom in the back, so most customers used the XK8 as a two-seat vehicle only.

The 1996 XK8 Convertible was available with the same 4.0-liter all-aluminum, twin-cam V8 engine under the hood as its coupe sibling. The automaker paired it with a five-speed automatic transmission only. Power went to the rear wheels, and the independent suspension in all corners helped the car stay planted on the road while offering a comfortable ride as well.

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