CLASSIC DRIVE
To mark Jaguar specialist KWE’s 20th anniversary, we drive founder Chris Knowles’ own upgraded 6-litre XJR-S
SAID GEORGE Bernard Shaw once, “The test of a man or woman’s breeding is how they behave in a quarrel.”
The test of an XJ-S’s breeding is how it behaves on the road and after driving this 1990 model it’s clearly a thoroughbred. Not only is it a rare 6-litre example of the XJR-S but it was also recommissioned by marque experts, KWE, which included giving the car its famed suspension upgrade package. If any further proof of its breeding was needed, it’s currently owned by KWE’s Chris Knowles.
“Someone has taken a lot of time looking after that car which is nice,” he tells me. “I’ve driven 300 or 400 XJ-Ss over the years but can honestly say it’s the nicest handling example I’ve driven and not just because of the work we’ve done. It’s not perfect cosmetically, for example, but it’s still a lovely car.”
The XJR-S model was originally introduced in 1988 to celebrate Jaguar’s recent successes in the World Sports Car Championship. Based on the upgrades developed for the XJ-S by the team behind those successes, Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the R-S featured a body kit designed by Peter Stevens (of later McLaren F1 fame), handsome 15in Speedline alloys plus stiffer springs, Bilstein dampers, a thicker anti-roll bar and a change to the steering geometry.
Only ever built to order, unfinished XJ-S coupes (the R-S was never available as a convertible in the UK) were transported from Browns Lane to Kidlington in Oxfordshire where they were transformed into the XJR-S by JaguarSport, a new company that was owned 50/50 by the two companies involved.
Although no changes were made to the 5.3 V12, the car was still noticeably different. As Fast Lane magazine said in its June 1990 issue, “Even with a standard engine, the XJR-S felt a little quicker simply because it gave more traction and was less turbulent on uneven roads.”
In August 1989 TWR’s 6.0-litre version of Jaguar’s V12 (that from the outset had always been an expensive option) became the standard engine which with 318bhp compared to 295 of the standard car resulted in what for many remains the ultimate XJ-S. But at £45,500, it was 11 grand more than the 5.3 which explains why a little over 500 were made before production stopped in 1993 making them highly sort after today.
This example was registered in January 1990 and, until Chris bought it in 2020, was a two-owner car that in his words, “All looked very original.” He’d originally become involved with it in 2016 when the then owner asked KWE to start recommissioning the car.
“His brief wa
