Ferocious Beauty: Benedict Cumberbatch on the Jaguar XKR-S

By John Coyle - May 27, 2022

If you’ve managed to forget about the Jaguar XKR-S, this video will serve as fantastic refresher.

Since I began writing for Jaguar Forums, I’ve been crystal clear about my affection for the Series I and Series II XJ6 sedans. In my opinion, these are some of the most stunning four-doors ever made, and the relative ease of an LS swap makes them attractive prospects for a restomod build. That said? While my eye has wandered slightly over the years, and lingered on the XJS and the Mark II, the only other Jaguar that’s truly got its claws in me is the second-generation XK. These are truly stunning cars, and prices — particularly for R versions — have been on the rise.

But as Jaguar fans know, the XKR wasn’t the pick of the liter — that honor belongs to the XKR-S. This fire-breathing GT was first revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, and even by the standards of today’s horsepower-crazed landscape, it remains a serious piece of kit. Under the hood, it packed a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 good for a whopping 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque, which allowed it to make the sprint from zero to 60 in a scant 4.2 seconds. Keep your foot buried, and the XKR-S will charge all the way up to a license-forfeiting 186 mph.

At the time, that monster of a mill made it the most powerful roadgoing Jaguar ever produced. And while it was eventually surpassed by the XE SV Project 8, if I had the choice between which pretty kitty I’d put in my garage? Well, that’d be no choice at all — I’d take a French Racing Blue XKR-S in a heartbeat. So I thoroughly enjoyed this video where Benedict Cumberbatch — of Dr. Strange and Sherlock fame — narrates a detailed breakdown of the hot GT car’s specs. If you’ve somehow managed to forget about this magnificent beast, it’ll prove a wonderful refresher.

Unfortunately, as cool as this video is, the company’s pending transition to an all-electric lineup also makes it a little bittersweet. Because while I’m confident we’ll see more fast, gorgeous machines from Coventry, the end of internal combustion Jaguar sports cars is coming to a close. That, my friends, is a big deal, and as I scramble to get my ass into an F-Type before they leave press fleets forever, it’s something that weighs on me more than it maybe should. So keep your fingers crossed for me — and enjoy the video!

Photos: Jaguar