2008 Jaguar XKR Coupe Is Our Bring a Trailer Auction Pick of the Day

 With future EV products waiting to be revealed and greatest-hits restomods like the TWR Supercat pinging the cash register at more than a quarter-million dollars, it's a tough time to be a regular-Joe Jaguar enthusiast. But don't fret: if you can't get into your favorite band's latest album, what do you do? Why, you simply dig into their back catalog and spin up that vintage vinyl.

Today's pick at Bring a Trailer (part of Hearst Autos, as is Car and Driver) is some Jag hard rock of the finest kind, and not even the old vintage stuff that needs you to be handy with a wrench. It's a 2008 XKR coupe in gorgeous indigo blue, the sort of classy grand tourer to make an Aston Martin look like it's trying too hard. Supercharged V-8. Leather-lined interior. Design by Ian Callum, CBE. Whatever Jaguar's electric future holds, this is the kind of Jag we'll miss.

The second-gen XK launched in 2006 for the 2007 model year. Grace? You betcha. Pace? Hello available supercharged V-8. Space? Allow me to direct Sir or Madam to two sumptuously comfortable front seats, but not before stowing their luggage in a cavernous liftback rear cargo area.

This XKR, the supercharged version, is just the pinnacle of Jagdom, as poised as Jeeves but with a punch that hits like Ronnie Kray brandishing a lead pipe. Finished in a stunning dark blue that gleams in indirect light, and with a torque-rich 420-hp 4.2-liter V-8 underhood, it's Jason Statham in a Savile Row suit.

When the F-type arrived in 2013, everyone sort of forgot about the old XK. In the same way that the latest James Bond film overshadows recent ones while the classics are still venerated, old-but-not-that-old Jaguars tend to fall into an uncanny valley where people overlook them. This example, with the quite reliable 4.2-liter V-8, is the kind of gem that would turn anyone into a Jaguar fan. One spin around the block, a flex of your right foot, and you will Get It as to what the Jaguar brand used to represent. Aston Martins and Bentleys were rich kids born into the aristocracy. Jaguars were genteel, but with a whiff of hobnail boot and soccer hooligan still about them.

With just 38,000 miles on the odometer, this big, fast car still has plenty of go left to give, and it would make your next long-distance road trip an absolutely leonine experience. Adaptive dampers cushion the ride, the HVAC system is up to date for climate comfort, and the pairing of a supercharged V-8 with a six-speed automatic transmission makes for effortless speed.

Not a collector vehicle, but thus able to be enjoyed without reservations, this XKR is a bit of the past that Jaguar is currently looking to close the door on. That's fine; we all have to grow as the years pass. But before entirely drawing the curtain on things, here's a chance to experience maximum Jag at what's bound to be reasonable cost. Head on over to Bring a Trailer for your chance to bid on a prime example of a sometimes-forgotten elegant English grand tourer. Grace. Pace. Space. There's still time to be a dyed-in-the-wool Jaguar fan.