DRAG-RACING JAGUAR'S FLYING MACHINE

It’s a surreal experience driving a new Jaguar XKR‑S at 165 mph and having the captain of a Boeing 737 jet wave at you, writes Stephen Park, motoring writer with Scotland’s The Herald newspaper.

I was piloting the XKR‑S in a charity event called Race the Runway. The Jag was one of more than 30 supercars drag‑racing each other along a runway at Edinburgh Airport a week or so ago.

It was all for a good cause, raising almost £12,000 ‑ around $20,000 – for the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice and the Scottish Burned Children’s Club.

There was also a serious competitive side to the event as it was the XKR‑S’ first showing in Scotland, so there was a lot to prove.

Now in its third year, this year’s Race the Runway event saw a record entry. Jaguar in fact entered five cars – a couple of new XKR‑S vehicles, two XKR cars and a XKR – doing its bit for charity. Alongside them were some very quick Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

The rules were simple. Pull‑up to the start line alongside another car, see the red light turn to green, and drag‑race along the 5,760‑foot (just over a mile) runway. Actually the run itself was 4,300 feet, with the rest being a braking area.

I’ve driven fast Jaguar cars before. I’ve taken a regular XK to its electronically‑limited max of 155 mph, but that 550‑horsepower supercharged V8 makes the XKR‑S notably more ferocious. Find a longer runway and it will hit a top speed of 186 mph.

Getting off the line fast was key to the race. Using left‑foot braking and building the revs gave me the perfect getaway. From there, it was this foot‑to‑the‑floor streak along the airport’s emergency runway with big jets taxiing on either side.

As the Jaguar flashed across the finish line – still accelerating hard – I’d clocked 165 mph. It was enough to get me into the semi‑finals.

Thinking back, what I loved most about the car was the V8’s deep, throaty bellow under such full‑on acceleration. It sounded fabulous, even among all the other exotics.

At the end of the course, it was astonishing how quickly the XKR‑S pulled‑up way before the end of the braking area. Even with repeated runs and with an immense amount of heat going through the brakes, there were no signs of fading.

While my 165 mph wasn’t quite enough to win the competition outright, it was surprisingly close to that of the winning Lamborghini LP570 which reached 172 mph.

For Jaguar, it was just an amazing achievement.

As for that friendly British Airways pilot egging me on, I’d just like to apologize for not waving back. I was a little busy at the time.