IndyStar.com's view

New claws and a new look are the big features of that ferocious four-wheeled vehicle called Jaguar for 1997.

The claws, all eight of them, and sleek styling highlight the all-new 1997 Jaguar XK8 convertible and coupe.

As an automobile that retains the traditional trappings of an English-built motor car in a very non-traditional manner, the new “Jag” XK8 belies its American Ford Motor Co. ownership and virtually shouts “The British are coming.”

And coming they are, at about 156 mph, with the first V-8 engine ever designed by Jaguar.

While Jaguar may belong to Ford, there is no relationship between the 4.0-liter Jaguar V-8 and Ford’s 4.6-liter V-8. Jaguar didn’t raid Ford’s parts bin.

The two engines share the basic engineering parameters of four overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, and eight cylinders laid out in a V configuration, but those parameters fit almost every 32-valve V-8 made in the world.

In addition to the new engine, the XK8 bears a sophisticated five-speed automatic transmission that Jaguar developed in conjunction with the German transmission maker ZF. It also features an electronic “drive by wire” throttle system, new designs for both front and rear independent suspension systems, and a variable-assist/ variable-ratio power steering whose development centered on taut response and precise handling.

On top of that, throw in a luxurious interior highlighted by Connolly leather, polished walnut veneers, recessed instrumentation and comfortable 2-plus-2 seating and you have an automobile that just won’t quit.

Jaguar never has been an econobox, and the XK8 follows that tradition. The convertible, which is expected to account for 80 percent of its sales in the United States, has a base price of $69,900. The coupe begins at $64,900.

Jaguar is planning on its V-8 being a major drawing point, and it should be as it is a very advanced piece of equipment.

The engine, which is manufactured in a new Jaguar facility at Bridgend, South Wales, is an all-aluminum 244-cubic-inch V- 8 rated at 290-horsepower and 284 foot-pounds of torque.

The die-cast aluminum block incorporates an intricate aluminum bedplate casting that forms a base for the block below the centerline of the crankshaft. The bedplate also contains the top half of the five main bearing caps that accommodate the crankshaft. Separate bottom half main bearing caps bolt to the bedplate to contain the crank, with the entire assembly assuring an extremely rigid structure.

An electroplating process called Nikasil is used on the cylinder bores. The plating is applied directly to the aluminum cylinders. There are no separate iron cylinder liners.

Another feature of the engine is variable cam phasing, a system in which intake and exhaust cams are hydraulically advanced or retarded to vary valve timing for low-speed torque or high-speed power.

For the non-gearheads, the XK8 looks like poetry in motion.

“It takes styling cues from the (Jaguar) E-type,” said Chad Spidle, new car manager for Tom Wood Jaguar. “It’s really the first sports car since the E. I’ve driven the coupe, and it’s incredibly smooth.”

In the passenger cabin, the wood veneers spread across the entire width of the dashboard. Large, round analog type gauges are mounted ahead of the driver, while smaller support gauges are mounted in the center section of the dash.

PThe shift lever is in an L-shaped pod-like structure that is raised at a slight angle so that it flows up into the lower center section of the dash. Stereo and climate controls are in the vertical, forward facing section of the center console pod.

Power controls are in the doors’ arm rests, and include a feature in which the windows automatically seal shut when the door is closed. Other amenities include an electronically actuated tilt-and-telescope steering wheel.