Tuner Arden ging verder met de Jaguar XK

In de zomer kondigde Duitse tuner Arden al aan een upgrade voor de Jaguar XK op de plank te hebben liggen. Naast een aantal cosmetische aanpassingen, werd het vermogen van de XK van 300 pk opgekrikt naar 380 pk. De 4,2 liter motor werd hierdoor een maatje vergroot naar 4,5 liter. Maar Arden ging verder…

Om eens en voor altijd af te rekenen met het verwijt dat de Jaguar XK niet lekker mee kan komen met auto’s als de BMW M6 en de Mercedes CLK63, is Arden met een supercharger aan de gang gegaan.

Now we’re talking business, want de supercharger zorgt er samen met de eerste upgrade voor dat het vermogen uitkomt op 480 pk en dat is 180 pk meer dan het standaard model. Het sprintje duurt nog maar 4,8 seconden en is daarme 1,4 seconden sneller dan het originele model en 0,6 seconde sneller dan de potige Jaguar XKR. Natuurlijk is ook de cosmetica nog gewoon verkrijgbaar, waaronder de dikke 21 inch sloffen (via: motorauthority.com).

Update: het volledige persbericht:

Arden has dedicated itself for over 30 years to the tuning of British cars and is one of the leading addresses for customers looking to emphasise the typical features and customise their Jaguars and Range Rovers. Arden has already devised an extensive range of modifications for the latest XK model from Jaguar. As the Arden Jaguar XK AJ 20 Coupe, this big cat stands out with a displacement-increased engine and offers pure, unadulterated Jaguar enjoyment plus that distinguishing Arden touch.

Jaguar fits the XK as standard with a powerful 4.2 l V8 with 298 bhp / 219 kW and 411 Nm. Arden rebuilds this eight-cylinder engine from scratch and sharpens the claws of this big cat by increasing its displacement. The displacement increase to 4.5 l is achieved by fitting a crankshaft specially produced for Arden, along with new con rods and pistons. Arden optimises the lubrication and the cooling and, in doing so, guarantees a long service life of the components, as it also does through its more than 20 years of experience in the field of Jaguar engine tuning. In conjunction with the modified intake and exhaust systems and sports catalytic converters, the fully recalibrated EMS produces an emphatic but harmonious power boost, whilst retaining the original exhaust gas classification.

For drivers, these modifications primarily translate as a vast increase in driving pleasure. The now 4.5 l displacement generates almost 100 extra brake horse power, with the total of 392 bhp (288 kW) and a torque of 475 Nm at 3,800 rpm bringing a smile of satisfaction to the driver’s face. Sprinting in just 5.3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h means that it is just under a second faster than the production version. And the top speed of 285 km/h is pretty impressive, too.
Drivers’ eyes light up even brighter when they see the Arden’s compressor version, which puts the Krefeld tuning specialist one step ahead of the British manufacturer, since Jaguar doesn’t currently offer a supercharged engine. Arden elicits an impressive 480 bhp / 353 kW and an awesome torque of 640 Nm at 3,850 rpm from its supercharged 4.5 l V8 engine. The supercharged XK accelerates 0.5 seconds faster to 100 km/h than its Arden naturally aspirated counterpart, and as much as a clear 1.4 seconds faster than the production version. A top speed of 295 km/h makes the XK AJ 20 Coupe the fastest Jaguar currently on the road.
In neutral, the Jaguar XK purrs as softly as a kitten. But watch out when it stretches out its claws! The Arden XK AJ 20 Coupe expresses its additional power in the form of a deep growl, produced by a sports silencer system with the option of either two or four chrome-plated tailpipes. Upon request, the system can be extended at any time up to a performance-enhancing complete system that includes catalytic converters.