The latest Jaguar XK was discontinued in 2014, after eight years in production. The grand tourer went into the history books a few months after the F-Type was introduced and despite rumors that a new-generation model was underway, the XK did not return. It’s been six years since Jaguar doesn’t offer an XK and this rendering from Future Cars Now gives us a glimpse as to how a modern version would look like.
The Jaguar XK would be a longer F-Type
Not surprisingly, the XK is heavily based on the F-Type. The headlamps and the front bumper are clearly borrowed from the two-seater, as are most of the lateral body panels and the hood. But the XK sports design cues of its own, such as different vents on the hood, vertical outlets on the front fenders, longer quarter windows and a longer rear deck lid. The XK rendering also shows a longer wheelbase, which is mandatory given that this car features an extra two seats in the rear (unlike the F-Type).
When a new XK was still in the rumor mill, it was believed that Jaguar will go with an overall design inspired by the F-Type. And since other Jaguars in the lineup borrow some features from the sporty two-door, it’s safe to assume that the XK would return almost 10 years later with similar styling cues. And needless to say, it wouldn’t look bad at all.
The Jaguar XK is one of the most iconic nameplates from the British company
The XK nameplate goes back many decades to the original XK120 from 1948.
Although the XK120 is a two-seater, it’s considered a spiritual predecessor of the modern XK. The first iteration of the series was produced until 1954 with a 3.4-liter inline-six engine and was related to the iconic C-Type race car. A redesigned version with similar looks and called the XK140 was built from 1954 until 1957. The sports car was upgraded one more time in 1957 and in 1959 the 3.4-liter engine was replaced with a 3.8-liter unit. The XK150 was discontinued in 1961, when Jaguar replaced it with the legendary E-Type.
From then on, the XK would remain absent for no less than 35 years. The E-Type was produced until 1975, while its replacement, the XJ-S, was built until 1996. That’s when the XK returned, this time around with a sleek and modern design and powered by naturally aspirated or supercharged V-8 engines. Two trims were offered, the XK8 and the XKR. The latest XK arrived in 2006, also with naturally aspirated and supercharged V-8 powerplants. Jaguar offered various trims, including the previous XKR and a beefed-up XKR-S. Production of the XK ended in 2014 with more than 35,000 units built. No direct successor was offered.
