First drive of our manual-converted 420bhp Jaguar XKR!

Our manual Jaguar XKR is out on the roads, and Mike Fernie has a burning question about the car - Have we made a better Jag?
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[@Drivetribe]

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[@blocheadz]

I know it is early, but if you would like to consider getting this back to the USA for its final home I would buy it. As an import to the US myself it might make compelling TV!

[@deagt3388]

Yes we did! ;-)

[@kluthage421]

So this should have been a 9 minute video

[@staLkerhu]

Can you guys give this to JayEmm for a review?

[@BAJ1981drones]

​@kluthage421 nobody forced you to watch.

[@mattcook3801]

I’ve always loved this body style, it’s so Jag and early 2000s. Tuning one, giving it a new lease on life, and doing what Jag wouldn’t has just made it better. It’s a 10/10 for me.

[@ryanbox30]

You definitely made a better Jag. Not much wrong with the original car but by only putting in the manual you made it 10 times better. Enjoy it Mike!

[@TobyRay45]

That exact model of XKR was one of the first model cars I got for Xmas when I was wee lad. And ever since I have been wanting a Jaguar of my own. Happily, I'm picking up my very first Jaguar this Saturday (being 02/09/23). I've bought a 2012 XFR Supercharged 5.0L. I don't think I could ever want a Saturday to come sooner this much ever again.

[@bassline2k10]

I keep coming back to this video just for the sound of this thing. Im becoming obsessed and one day i have decided i must own one of these and do the manual conversion

[@ranger6609]

exactly the same here, probably one of the best looking cars I've seen. Gotta love the 90s to 2000s era

[@PingasRemixer]

I’d always heard the reason jaguar never made this was to avoid competition with the much more expensive db7 of the time

[@Eidrian111]

Let me guess, you heard it from Clarkson?

[@PingasRemixer]

@@Eidrian111 wasn’t him, pretty sure it was from someone who worked at JLR at the time they developed both. Can’t remember exactly though so take it with a pinch of salt.

[@timothydraper6626]

@@Eidrian111 If it had a limited slip diff and a manual, it wouldn't be too far below a DB7, and if it was tuned and had a throaty exhaust, it'd be even closer.

[@blessingottokebafe8061]

Let Jeremy Clarkson, have a go at it. 😂😂I already see him saying, it a the best car in the WORLD

[@cottonbrad]

Considering both were designed by Ian McCallum who worked for Aston and Jag at the same time and they (and the X150 and DB9) are pretty much identical from the back and side...sure ticked off a lot of Aston owners!

[@diederickhoogendijk5070]

Amazing, that sound! And an amazing video!💪🏼

[@MarieWest-tbic]

I'm going back and watching all the videos now. Must consume more Drive Tribe! Love all the personalities that are in your videos! ❤

[@vukken99]

Brother....the sounds kills....loving it brother!!!

[@rahulkalra8989]

That exhaust sound is incredible❤

[@hotrodadventures1212]

I have a manual XK8 (and a standard XKR, both coupe). I feel like you didnt realize there are seat controls? Slide the seat back a bit and you will find you fit better! Im 6'2" and daily drive these cars. I did find that the foot rest left from the standard automatic car was in the way of the clutch pedal and removed it. The manual XK8 , other then off the line, feels every bit as fast as the standard XKR.

[@erick_bst]

I wish I could have the time to buy and build my dream 6mt Jag XK just like this, but with a supercharged LS (or a 5.0 Coyote) on the legendary British Green color. Excellent Job.

[@aidanbrewer8056]

I have a model one if these in red on a plinth, which I got when I was 6. This from there on in is a dream car for me to own. I’d love to own one if these and do the same sort of upgrades. Top job!!

[@scousecats7357]

You have done an amazing job with that Jag, the sound is beautiful absolutely beautiful.

[@ghomerhust]

as much as ive loved other cars on the channel, i feel like this one has been a crowning moment. it's fantastic, even with the quirks. stunning looks, excellent performance, and yes, that NOISE.

[@Toxi1555]

The design is simpy stunning!

[@sanatanadharma99999]

Really enjoyed your video. Except the manual gearbox and ECU, I've modified the 2002 convertible in a similar way as well. Coilovers, pulleys, intake, cooling, racing exhaust, poly bushes, etc. Perhaps I shall visit Swallow Racing guys for a gearbox, ECU, and LSD 😁

[@faugrad]

Still one of the most beautiful coupes of the late 90s/early 2000s.

[@shaunfogarty5744]

Great Euro resto mod!

[@AutoalexCars]

😅😅😅 the shed and I will see you there!

[@Jonnyrockin71]

It's surprisingly rare to find a early 2000's XKR Coupe on the market. Perhaps owners are holding onto this classic longer. Many convrtables available though. Watching this video, I am even more motivated to get this XKR and do everythng your team did.

[@zachdebuhr6347]

It took me a while to find one I bought mine XKR '02 on Craigslist. They pop up occasionally but you have to check everywhere

[@Jonnyrockin71]

@@zachdebuhr6347 You look like a cool dude and a Jag would suit you really well. The XJS's are in demand and priced high in Australia.

[@zachdebuhr6347]

@Marxistsrcnts thank you and I would love to get an XJS eventually too

[@racalik]

dragrace with autoalex incoming? 😃great stuff, looking forward to this 😃

[@ddavidappleby9357]

Oh man the whine of the supercharger coupled with the growl of the exhaust is purely intoxicating! I am trying to get an estimate from Swallows Racing already to get my 2001 XKR converted to a 6 speed manuam asap!

[@Musta_Paroni]

Same here, but those guys dont have any interest.

[@battyboomfatty]

10-15mm spacers for perfection!

[@ryanmuirhead9120]

This car is unreal !!

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

Very tempted to have the AVO coil over suspension fitted to my 97 plate 4.0 car. It's very reasonably priced I feel considering it transforms the car, whilst maintaining it's comfort levels. The stand alone ECU is a little pricey at £3k though.......I wonder what scope there is to tune a n/a 4.0 V8 with the ECU fitted?

[@samgriengl-schott1940]

looks amazing, but a black grille and replacing fog lights with cooling ducts would send it to the moon

[@luisdelaroca6314]

Love this ❤

[@kiphome1]

HI Mike, Love the car. I have an 02 xkr 100 and I am curious about the grill upgrade you have done. Do you have a link to where to purchase and how hard was it to install? Thanks! Kip

[@andrewwhite1305]

I love the sound of that beast. The supercharger whine, and the beef of that v8 sound amazing together.

[@Mr351Ford]

Beautiful, well done.

[@ghost21501]

A British Hellcat. I love it!

[@imnotdillon]

This XKR would look AMAZING next to my black STR... Man. Did you guys sell it? Lol

[@DanielJett]

I converted my 1988 XJ-S TWR Sport to a Getrag 265 5-speed manual. All the heat pours into the cabin. It is terrible like that. The clutch isn’t a race setup but it’s still been terrible for traffic situations. I’ve already had the clutch replaced once, so in less than a few thousand miles. It transformed the car’s performance, but a lot of negatives, too. It would be great if someone could perfect these manual conversions.

[@DanielJett]

The pedal box is very narrow, too. Gas pedal is too small like the XKR’s, too.

[@andybroer651]

It is a great Jaguar! Much appreciated here

[@WalterBurton]

YES YOU HAVE! 👍👍👍

[@fairygodbrother]

For those wondering driving a left hand drive car in Japan is a "flex" that you could afford to buy a foreign branded luxury car and it shows its not been made in Japan even if it was available there in right hand drive its still cooler to get a LHD as it stands out more

[@patricklilly2520]

Absolutely Gorgeous! The detailing is Stunning! I'll bet LARGE, It's a Blast to drive. Thanks for sharing...

[@ingrampowell9111]

The X100 is an evolution of the old (1968 vintage) XJ platform. So could the pedal box from any old manual XJ be used? And what about using the clutch from the S-type Diesel, and its flywheel or one made from the flex plate of the auto XKR? I could not live with that intrusive supercharger whine. Is this exacerbated by the small pulley?

[@mikegrattan5862]

Yes!

[@sbjrcourses7961]

I have an XK8. I think it's the most beautiful car on earth.

[@julianlord2697]

I toy with the idea of doing this to my XJRS 6.0 V12 as the 3 speed auto is fine but I do feel it would be a lot more aggressive with a manual. Specialists want 6,000 quid including the box. As an XJRS is now up to 15,000 in value this may be worthwhile.

[@user-en9zo2ol4z]

Night of the long drives.

[@murrieteacher]

The whine of that supercharger, and the exhaust, perfect. This is a real Jag. I want one. I would take the steering column shroud off, relocate the ignition to the dash and give my knee more room. And those pedals need work too with a relocation or a larger plate on the brake.

[@endorphinity]

Terrific job, which could never happen without that much love and passion you devote to it.

[@maxnicholls7254]

When Clarkson reviewed the XKRR on Top Gear he correctly stated it wouldn't go into production as the DB7 GT manual was released instead. I have that DB7 and i would probably rather have the XKRR; better looking and prefer the V8 supercharged; this has got me thinking...

[@Galkac]

My favorite car

[@fabssgarage]

My opinion: THREE PEDALS OR NOTHING! 👏🏻

[@agonzo626]

What a machine mate. That whine sounds great.

[@salchristiano6606]

Yes you did

[@faerveldir]

10: 30 Ok.. well why on earth then are you wearing a sweater? hahaha

[@benstone1824]

Are you complaining about the heat while wearing a sweatshirt? 102-103 F all week here. I know its celsius but 30 sounds amazing.

[@petervan1353]

Looks great and amazing you forgot to mention the moist in the headlights

[@timdoyle3028]

If the trans ever dies in my XJR, this would be a wonderful solution.

[@glenmorganshaw5869]

where is the jag drag race? did it happen i cant find it

[@dr.strange1523]

I had one ot these. XKR 100. I wish now that I would have never sold it. Still having a XJR like Richard. Next year I will have to contact the right people for the job to overhaul it. Really helpful videos. As there aren’t many JAG specialists. Thanks for that

[@vedanttirlotkar82]

beauty 😍

[@AsinineComment]

So Matt cleaned the windows _too?_ Wooooo...! 😮 No wonder that GTECHNIQ franchise is *accredited* . 😑

[@williamwadepaulus330]

I wanna know what the coat to recreate this us for a us car

[@tysteven6279]

Absolutely stellar car. Always loved the styling of the XK8, hated the idea of an automatic. Savage improvements to a potentially awesome car! Great video, thanks!

[@drivesafely12]

Looks a great car and I agree the newer electric aren't really Jaguars and I wouldn't want one. An XKR with a manual transmission - now you're talking.

[@markroyle58]

i always wanted an XKR and thought that model was fantastic but in the end i fell for the later model, cant wait for the drag race vid

[@beauthestdane]

Honestly I haven' t loved any Jags since the XKE.

[@lib556]

Loving my XKR.

[@caprise-music6722]

Love that car. Nice you got it in BRG too

[@jonesalex565]

We're becoming like Cubans!

[@BenRawlins1]

Matt and Cam at System Clenz do an incredible job!

[@Dotherightthing832]

Beautiful car.

[@1nnu3ndo]

That screen on the dashboard though 😍 any more information on that?

[@douglasjames4905]

That is the CD-based Nav screen, the unit itself stacked in the boot, right corner with the CD changer. Jaguar provided one nav disc update, so it's beyond useless today. Tossed both units on mine, de-contented the dash by putting in the 3-dials standard fare layout, sourced eBay, used. Mandatory 'downgrade' for the informed owner IMHO.

[@1nnu3ndo]

@@douglasjames4905 have a look around 1:08 at some of the dash shots. That’s not the standard nav screen of the later models. It’s much more modern and larger.

[@doctormoore5937]

I want one

[@chrisamato938]

U did a great job on the jag any petrol head would be proud

[@777anarchist]

If Jaguar were making beer, what would it be?

[@paulinfrance5]

So what's it up for sale for ?.

[@h0R1Z3N]

Should have gone with black headliner

[@bernardlloyd2000]

Absolutely spot on build 👌🏻 Also, I'm pretty sure its the first time i actually like the sound of a modded exhaust as much as the original sound on jaguars from this era 😁

[@spinosamurai]

How would you build a 95 XJS with the 4.0 inline 6? Asking for a friend 😅

[@jettsouza]

Oh! The sound!

[@MH30R]

I would like to see what Swallows could do with an XJS 2-door coupe. 6 speed manual conversion with a nice NA V12. That was my dream car as a young lad as a few doors up the road from us was one Bob Jane with a front yard full of his racing Jaguar vehicles.

[@sprezzatura8755]

Last Generation 6 liter V12 would be perfect 6 speed conversion. That would be an epic car.

[@geoffreycarter3981]

there are some AMAZING ones on KZbin@@sprezzatura8755

[@trentweston8306]

The race is still on!

[@AuthorSaulAlan]

Nice! 💚 but really needs the Sepang 20 inch rims to finish the looks 👌🏻 and the facelift 👀

[@GearsandSeeds]

💯 💯 💯

[@thebritishautochannel]

This!

[@neckray]

Kind of like the BBS 5 spokes on it tho ngl

[@TruthWithstandsScrutiny]

Those tr@shy 5 spokes ruin it, ages the car and takes away from the sleek classy look, the originals it had on at the start looked better than the Detroit, Sepang or similar are a much better style for XK's

[@commanderforsworn]

​@@TruthWithstandsScrutiny Yeah they had a decent set on it then swapped them for one of the worst sets you can get on an X100 😐

[@wolvoman1]

Was there a reason you didnt search out a RHD?

[@Joey4420]

Left hand drive, you can send that to me in the USA if you get bored of it.

[@andrezzz_]

I would love to see this little pearl do a lap on the Nurburgring!! Awesome job!!

[@stevenbrown8857]

Is James May coming 🤔 that's the clincher

[@OperationBlueprint]

Banging video Mike

[@dlygrind]

Gorgeous work! Thanks for making this as long as you did. I could watch that gem roll forever!

[@aldrichuyliong8143]

Such an underloved Jag. Being a 90's kid born in the 80's i've always lusted after this.

[@Pericles777]

Same. I also feel this with the sedan. I think it’s the best looking sedan ever made.

[@user-en9zo2ol4z]

Jag certainly lost itself since the departure of Ian Callum he had the skill to unify design & purpose of the Jag brand, with his core strength being to integrate true beauty into a sophisticated package that simply worked on every level. If not for him, I suspect that Jaguar would have been yet another historical brand, forever seeking resurrection. As has been the traditional plight of so many British cars.

[@KartKing4ever]

You guys built the car Jaguar *should* have built back then.

[@jamestyrrell2225]

That's more Jaguar than any current Jaguar 🤣 I love it! Imagine doing the same but to the S type R!

[@shmac96]

I absolutely love projects like these!!! This makes me want to buy an XKR and do exactly what you did with yours. Friggin Awesome!

[@ivanjovanovic362]

Why is it left hand drive?

[@James-id3yw]

Hate the wine the v8 sounds amazing though

[@Joe-qj7oh]

One word really, Perfect.

[@chrism2567]

Almost, really should have been the later 4.2

[@cottonbrad]

Wish my XKR sounded like that! Wow!

[@NoTruth_42069xdgodxqtjaja]

Jaaaaaag. 420 lads.

[@GUARDIAN085]

Can you do the same with an x150 like mine? I have a 2012 xkr here in Florida and theres not muh content if any that has gone into depth like how your project progressed .great work to you and the team...wish there were more behind the scenes and uner the hood segments of this wonderfully fantastic project

[@rivenmotors7981]

Yeah same here would love to have a manual in my x150 as well. Not an XKR but the lowly 300hp standard that would be much more engaging with the manual.

[@h7pubg]

@@rivenmotors7981paddles are pretty fun in my 08

[@mescko]

I just picked up a project series 1 XJ6 and I'm already collecting bits for a manual conversion. If my friends hear about it before I get it done I'll never hear the end of it. None of my other cars have slushies. All EV means the end of it AFAIC.

[@Alex-dk9hu]

You're wearing a long sleeve that looks like a sweater and long pants 👖. Come try to do that in Texas 😂

[@brianrainey2739]

Change the seats to something lower so your legs can work the 3 pedals properly and add some 10mm spacers to correct the stance. Nice.

[@michaelj3282]

Why is the dash 2Tone?

[@georgetoris1097]

Proper proper proper Jaaaaaaaaag