1997 Jaguar XK8 | Retro Review 

The XKR variant was truly one of the sleeper stars of the late 90s/early 2000s. And these still look quite sharp.

Ahh, the trunk mounted CD changer. You were the top of the hill if your vehicle sported one of those! 🙂

My buddy just picked one up for $7500. Garage kept and 52000 miles and convertible. Cool cruiser and the styling still looks good today.

What a beautiful modern looking car even in 2022.. I saw one of these in British racing green here in Scottsdale Arizona last week. Still looks fantastic!

This is one of the greatest designs ever. It just flows so well all over.

Nostalgic , 23 years ago , i drove this car in Need For Speed 4 High Stakes . Greetings from Brazil!

I remember playing as this car in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 and High Stakes. (The XKR, not the XK8). I really miss the Ford-Jaguar parts sharing in the old models. (Ford also owned Mazda as well as Volvo). This XK8 was (and still is) beautiful to this day. Also, the background music sounds really beautiful!

This car aged so well. A cheaper alternative to the Aston at the time

Absolutely gorgeous car, and what a huge leap forward from the prehistoric XJS.

One of my favorite Jags. I was able to car detail one of these and it’s very nice. Engine sounds great

The editor sure had fun with those transitions.

I love my 2003 XK8 convertible. It still gets a ton of compliments.

one of the most beautiful cars ever made!

An XKR with a manual would have been the ultimate. I'd absolutely own one.

This car is absolutely stunning even today.

Lucky enough to have the coupe version of the xk8. Driving always puts a smile on your face. Big car but really tiny inside though.

Always love the Motorweek review~

This car with a simple stock LS-1 + T56 transmission = *the PERFECT reliable & sexy touring car*

Beautiful car. I love that long hood and sleek Coke bottle shape. The classy interior is my favorite part.

This is one of my wife's favorite cars. She likes the Antigua Blue color a lot.

This is the Tim Allen movie For Richer or Poorer (1997) car. I used to think it was the coolest car ever when I was 10. It was a sharp looking car. In those days they concentrated more on looks and comfort than they did technology.

My favorite car. I love this car so much.

It was this XK8 that got me into Jaguar cars.

A truly gorgeous car. The XK8/XKR was a childhood favorite of mine growing up in the early 00's, and remains so today. Would absolutely love an XK from this era in British Racing Green. You gotta love Jaguar's infamous J-gate shifter and acres of wood. Oh, and I love the violin music of this segment.

I remember seeing many of these Jags during the time. I'm a big fan of its sleek, elegant styling, which has the perfect touches of rounded areas, smoothness, and classic streamlined style.

More than once I have t thought about picking up an XK8 with low miles as a fun no rain and no salt car. You can get low mile one for a fairly reasonable price.

Beautiful, distinctive, sexy, and a rare sight to behold for sure on the roads today. That being said, if you are a collector please have deep pockets.

Jaguar should of incorporated the traditional round glass headlamps into the design.

Retro review ->instant like Keep them coming!

It was the summer of 1996. I was fresh out of high school and landed a job as a car porter at Joe Bullard Luxury Car Center (Jaguar, Infiniti, Volvo) in Mobile, Ala., thanks to my big brother. I remember when these came in on delivery trucks brand spanking new, along with the redesigned XJs. I was in heaven driving these babies, picking up customers' cars, delivering them back to customers' homes, etc., etc., etc. I also remember that unlike the XJs, these didn't give customers constant problems. I'd love to find an "R" version. Couldn't be worth no more than $8K today.

I bought my 97 XK8 in the year 2000 and still have it. I drive it often but it isn't my daily driver and aside from a sagging headliner, replaced twice, the only other problem is remembering to plug in the battery tender. It still looks fresh and almost new after 78,000 miles in British Racing Green with tan leather interior. I love my Jaaag.

I said back then and say now that the XK has the appropriate amount of wood to feel luxurious.

Little known fact, the violin music playing was actually coming from the car. The only radio stations you could pull were classical stations. I put a Smashing Pumkins cassette in once , and it came out as Mozart.

4:40 John: BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE SMALL CHILDREN, WILL THE FIXED REAR SEAT BE OF ANY USE. LOL

Bless you if you can keep one of these running.

I worked for a British-owned software company in SoCal in the late ‘90s. The lot was full of the convertibles lol. The Brits love to drive top down on a sunny January day lol. 😎🇬🇧

Usually came in convertibles. Hard tops are very rare to find

I've always thought the pre-facelift (4.0L) XK8/XKR was one of the best styled coupes ever. I still want one, although the mandatory slushbox is very frustrating. It needs a Tremec T56. Also I would have to get used to leaning the seat back more than I normally do, because there isn't a whole lot of headroom.

I still want an XK8 coupe so badly. *Not* the convertible. Needs to be the coupe.

I love the looks of these cars had some convertible matchbox ones do I miss those days playing with those cars.

This still looks great today and better than the "refreshed" F-Type that's on its way to being discontinued. Sad there will be no more Jaguar coupes thanks to the market.

This car had the absolute best looking useless rear seats of any car that had useless rear seats.

This was my favourite of the jags models, how I wish the brits knew how to make engines and transmissions and electronics the list goes on

A car that aces the passage of time.

My favorite design of all time...this car was in that thriller movie called the glass house as well as the need for speed PC game I used to play.

Once the timing chain tensioners and guides have been replaced these are a bargain of a fun car to have.

That interior is a chefs kiss.

Cool Review Of 1997 Jaguar XK8.

Beautiful Car of Jaguar of the decade 90 .

Would love to get my hands on a convertible one and give it a ford 4.6 and a 6speed and see what it can do

The xkr looked great

My One of My 1990s Lottery Cars.

That blue is amazing

Leaves me scratching my head. A beautiful, rare (only 90,000 made over 10 years!), expensive, quick, sporty, desirable car such as these, and they hold little value, anyone can pick one up for a pittance compared to its price new. Which is a good thing, there's no other way I'd be able to own a low mileage car that originally sold for nearly $90,000!

Can’t believe this design is already 25 years old.

A very nicely styled car ahead of it's time. A shame that Jaguar had and still has a dubious reliability record.

Man I miss my 02 xkr. I now have a V8s ftype, but I think a xk8 or xj would be a good daily

Definitely one gorgeous looking car! Timeless design!👌🥰👍

Coupes are rare, they’re going for over 30k

the *"FORD"* XK8 awesome

“Top drawer” and “British engineering” should never be used together in the same sentence.

Still just as eye catching when I see one out and about. Seems like 95% were convertibles.

I'm having flashback to Need for Speed: High Stakes.

The best looking British car in history

Get looking ride!! Thanks motorweek

There used to be XJ-S coupes with a different name and design! But was the XJ-S still around in 1997?

I had a blue 97 coupe and now a 2000 xkr coupe. The XK8 series cars look tiny compared to most cars of today.

Cool car. Weird music during the driving segment

"Jagwar" 😁😂

Beautiful car

The Jaguar😎

Since having my 8.4L V10 Viper, every motor sounds puny. I’m like dude 4.0L is like less than half my engine

Used to be one of my favorite cars then I met my hero they're terribly slow and I'm not a tall guy but when I sit in a convertible my head is over the windshield

I had the 2007 convertible version. So beautiful to look at and fun to drive but such a piece of crap. Right after 60k miles nothing but problems had to get rid of it such a shame cause it was my favorite car ever for a time

I mean it's a DB7 in spirit, it should be good. It's faster than i thought it would be.

In Louisiana I rarely see this car

These are a good buy at 10 grand these days.

I was hoping after he said "itll send you to nirvana.... nevermind"

The British Mustang.

Caraca imagina paixão desse carro é uma maravilha que lindo 😍😍

Still a very sexy looking car! 👍🏼

Maybe unpopular to say, but that car is not good looking. Neither was the E type. But I do appreciate them for being different. However, in a few years Jaguar finally made a good looking car again in the XJ8. I think it was 2003 or so?

The Jaguar Mk II I hear had a v8 for a short time as a option.

Austin Powers had one too as a convertible with the British flag all over it.

Anyone know the top speed of these cars? I know the XKR is computer limited to 155 mph.

that was a good design, it looks big, but also the lemans prototypes. and Jaguars are the biggest cats from the whole american continent. and the strongest of all world, ¿you know why? 'cause they are ayahuascaś friends.

NICE

The biggest problem is that it looks like it should have a Dodge badge...

Jaguars are beautiful junk. I owned a very well-maintained, 2 owner, 98 XJR sedan with the supercharged 4.0. It seems like every time I started that car something would break. The supercharger stopped providing full boost and the transmission refused to downshift when exiting the freeway sometimes. This caused the car to stall on off ramps. It was often difficult to restart which presented it's own hazards on a highway off ramp. Wire looms would cumble in my hands when I attempted to move them, just like most of the interior plastics. Began to feel like the car was built from compressed dust! I now own a 99 Camaro SS with the same amount of miles. My Camaro has been nothing but 100% trouble free, reliable, & solid. I'll never own another piece of fragile British/European junk again.

was the best car I ever owned , drove great on the Autobahn.. I owned a game called need for speed: high stakes, I purchased the car but till this day there never delivred it to me, title , keys, nothing. why buy n play a racing game that has u earn money an unlock cars to only buy n own th⁹em but they never deliver car key n title to my home or ask delivery info...? is this how all drive game work?

Know why Jag has taken so long on EVs? Gotta figure out how to make them leak oil.

I’ll have the squid ravioli

I read a lot of positive comments about the design. I agree totally but then I ask myself...why is everybody buying SUVs today???? Let's stop with those awful SUVs!!!Lets go back to nice design like the Jaguar XK8!!!

It looks Aston Marin

It was a beautiful car.... for an endless money pit.

Jaaagggg 👍

Aways thought that car needed a set of real knock-off wire wheels..

They looked new an modern but underneath you had 1960s Jaguar

It’s funny how people say the XK looks beautiful and modern “even today”, which suggests that new cars are beautiful and modern. Well, they might be modern, but everything new looks like sh!t, so it’s not hard for an older Jaguar to hold its appeal.

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