Jaguar unveiled an all-new 2006 car, called simply the �XK� at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2005. It used the new XJ�s aluminum chassis and is offered as both a coup� and convertible incidentally, in a quite different manner to the way sports cars are usually designed, the coupe is based on the convertible. This meant that the engineers could design the convertible without the drawbacks of the car looking like, and actually being, a coupe with the top chopped off. This, coupled to the ultra rigid aluminum spaceframe, makes the XK convertible exceptionally rigid for a car of its type, offering an extremely impressive driving experience! Originally powered by a 300hp version of the 4.2L AJ V-8 engine, a supercharged version with 420hp is also available. The new XK�s grille is also inspired by that of the ever wonderful Jaguar E-Type and its curvaceous shape was intended as a tribute to this icon of the 1960a. The XK has also introduced a world first in pedestrian safety. In numerous pedestrian collisions with vehicles, head injuries occur when a pedestrain�s head impacts with the bonnet of the vehicle. However, the injuries are not usually sustained from the bonnet itself, rather the bonnet deforming and the pedestrain�s head colliding with the engine block underneath. Jaguar�s innovation is to have sensors in the front bumper that determine if a pedestrian has indeed been struck and this then triggers two pyrotechnical charges that instantaneously lift the bonnet, providing extra distance between engine and head. In effect, the bonnet becomes the exterior equivalent of an airbag! The bonnet�s sheet metal nay not be soft, but it�s much more accommodating than a solid engine block! (Reviewed by SMI)
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