This Jaguar XK8 has been lavishly ornamented with a sleek Veilside body kit. It looks like a shark lurking about for an unsuspecting prey. The hunted prey is not a metal beast by any imagination. What or rather who I am talking about is the various women on the street who would be preyed upon. They would love to have the opportunity to be driven in this sexy car. And most predictably, she would be digging into your wallet also.

This is definitely a sophisticated car whose purpose is not to trot around town looking for a challenge from the ego driven boy racers with their finely tuned road missiles. One does not go to a driver of this car and say "Hey man, how fast does this thing go?" or "Hey dude, how many ponies does this thing have under the hood?" The ultra soft ride is what this automobile is all about. It is luxurious in every aspect. The suspension is tuned in a way that you don't even feel the bump when you ride over potholes on the road. Of course your girlfriend for the night would appreciate that fact the most. Since she is applying some sort of make up on her face most of the time. She would not look too good with lipstick running up the side of her face, not to mention her appreciation for you. Especially, when the top is down and everyone can see her in traffic.

The cream Connelly Leather seats are as soft and smooth as any baby's bottom. I would prefer to use a different analogy for the suppleness of the leather seats, but I am afraid I might get eggs thrown at me by our feminist readers. But seriously, I believe that finally, we have found the car that any woman would not complain about butt sores, even though she has been sitting in those particular seats on an eight hour long journey. These seats are specifically there to pamper all the princesses out there in the world. I can vouch for them with both arms enthusiastically up. A hand, ladies and gentlemen, to the legendary British Coach maker, who never forgot the meaning of the word "comfort".

The walnut interior makes it all the more refine. However, I couldn't help but to notice the cheap Ford dials and console buttons. It looks like your run of the mill Ford Taurus family station wagon. How disappointing! This car deserves better, since it is suppose to exude the same passion as the famous E-Type. For all those young readers from the X and the Y generation who does not know what an E-Type is, it is the very car with the Union Jack livery in which Austin Powers famously nutted himself on the gear shifter.

As for those who did not have the privilege to sit in an E-Type, it feels like you are climbing into a cockpit of a fighter plane. Not because the bucket seats that snug you in tightly, not because of the long snout and the low windshield, because there are a hell of a lot of toggle switches on the dash. Now I don't even know what half of those bloody things do, but who cares, it gives you a real neat feeling. The kind of feeling that want to make you go out and invest in a set of World War II leather goggles instead of wearing your average over priced Gucci eye shades.

Although the XK8 is trying to rekindle the fiery passion of the E-Type, I would have to say "nice try". A worthy effort, too bad the Yanks got their hands on this project. The E-Type is like the infamous Spitfire fighter plane, the very best in its era that it was created in. I can hardly say the came for the XK8. It is a very well made automobile, but it is not the very best in this era of automobile history.

However, it is still a smooth ride. The five speed ZF automatic gearbox is a perfect marriage to the 4-liter V8 power plant. The combination is superb, for the upshift and downshift is hardly noticeable. Since this model has been fitted with a new set of exhaust, the low growl this kitty makes would make your heart purr with great satisfaction. The resonance generated from those pipes makes your heart soar, you could compare it to the same feeling you get when you hear the church organ pipes at its crescendo. Basically, the engine is your expensive stereo and to make your system perfect, you can't cheap out on your set of speakers. You are a wanker if you do. Jaguar is after all a cat, and a mighty big cat at that. It would be a terrible shame if it meows like a domestic household cat. It should rumble like the black jungle animal that the car is famously named after. Maneuvering in the city traffic was surprisingly easy. Not to mention the amount of looks one gets being inside such a wonderful car. The engine is well balanced and it handles with relative ease.

Since the car is created by the Brits, conservatism is foremost in the designer's mind. However, I am glad to see the owner of this car made it look more dashing. The 20-inch Zenetti wheels are awesome. To some readers, this car might look overdone, a bit cheesy or a bit campy, but to me, it looks very slick. Bullocks to those who thinks otherwise. It looks modern and it feels like a 20 something designer that decided to add his character to this otherwise stuffy and stodgy looking car that is trying to be youthful. Lets face it, the person who owns this car likes the gentle drive but wants more of an edgier look to it. Veilside has magnificently made the perfect aftermaket performance body kit for this car. We must give a hand to the owner (Ty) who has exquisitely pieced it together, to make it into a powerful combination.

Once again, the experts at Technik Motorwerks have done an outstanding job.

Alas, vanity has its prize.

By Dylon Koh

For more information, please contact:

Technik Motorwerks
Ross Hwang
Manager
Phone: 604.873.3038
E-mail: rhwang@spaceracing.com