Jaguar XK8 - Top Gear 1996 Jeremy Clarkson

Jaguar XK8 - Top Gear 1996 Jeremy Clarkson
The Jaguar XK is a two-door 2+2 grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1996-2014 in hatchback coupé and convertible bodystyles, across two generations. The XK was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1996 and was discontinued in July 2014.
The first generation was marketed as the XK8, replacing the XJS and was Jaguar's first 8-cylinder model since the Daimler 250, introducing the all-new Jaguar AJ-V8 engine. The XK8 shared its platform with the Aston Martin DB7.
All rights go to Top Gear & BBC

[@jeffallinson8089]

Still a stunning car in 2022!

[@angowT]

Even 2023. Gorgeous.

[@kedzis]

@@angowT or 2024

[@mr.toobigformypants8145]

I bought a used 97 XK8 in 2000 and have it to this day. There is no finer grand touring car than a Jaguar.

[@richardhammer187]

The XK8's a nice motor, but I feel a Bentley Continental could comfortably take anything Jag have ever made in a fight! Probably best if you take a 2022 Continental for a run down to the South of France, see if you feel that statement's still accurate when you get there...

[@mr.toobigformypants8145]

I never meant to start a pissing contest. Of course, the Bentley is a great car as are several others. I simply prefer a Jaguar.

[@richardhammer187]

@@mr.toobigformypants8145 it's not a pissing contest. You didn't say Jaguar was your preference (that would have been fine), you stated "There is no finer grand touring car than a Jaguar" as a fact, which obviously needed addressing. Loving all your/Jaguar fanboys too, keep upvoting guys!

[@mr.toobigformypants8145]

Maybe I just took it wrong, comparing my 97 XK8 to a 22 Bentley Continental, driving to the South of France all the way from Indianapolis. I concede.

[@punchy207]

@@richardhammer187 oh yeah because comparing a 2022 model year vehicle to one from 2000 is deifnitely a fair competition...

[@geoffmower8729]

The dash board is shaped like the wing of a Spitfire and it was made in the same factory as they made Spitfires during the war!

[@benleone5800]

The Coupes are one of the nicest Body Styles to grace any highway anywhere, Thanks for the video Jeremy! LOVE my Coupe.

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

Agreed. Never liked the pram......Oh, erm......I mean the convertible! You lose that lovely C shaped side window and the curve of the rear quarter panel where it meets the roof.

[@cazbantu4233]

I actually purchased a XK8 ten years ago, had nice smooth but sporty drive. This thing still turned heads and always sparked up conversations.

[@iansmith5904]

Even in 2023 this is a wonderful car ,

[@eduardmorike6688]

I bought a 1998 XK8 in September: more than a car, it's an atmosphere (which needs attention like any good friend, all right). I try not to drive it every day, which is pretty hard to resist.

[@markcarter9476]

A classic Jaguar. I feel the XK (X100) has aged better than the DB7 and is now firmly in modern classic territory. Great body, great drive and nowadays great value. However, they do like to rust so be careful.

[@lewis72]

I was just about to add "but they do rust" but then, so do most cars of the '90s. The Ford Ka and Puma dissolved in the driveway. I spent £2800 getting the rust done on my '99 E39 last year.

[@ScorpioIsland]

Agreed. The DB9 is so much better than the DB7 that it makes the 7 less attractive in hindsight. The Jag just looks great.

[@simonread732]

Loved this car! Still stunning all these years later and guess what the oil wells are full to bursting!

[@petertullemans]

Timeless modern classic…

[@hedydd2]

I bought one in 1997, just before they installed liners in the original alloy bores. It was a lovely car apart from the fact that it gave me dreadful backache after driving 50 miles or so. Changed it in 1998 for a diesel Land Cruiser Amazon [100 series] which I loved and ran for 20 years and over 200,000 miles of carefree, comfortable, unrushed motoring, using about the same fuel per mile as the XK8.

[@lukeh6367]

Haha, I have a 98 105 series petrol bought it new and looking at adding a Jaguar XK8 or XKR to the garage.

[@dumbdemolition1012]

I got one of these as my first car. I bought it about a month ago for $6000 and i absolutely love it. Its the convertible

[@gary9583]

just did this today!

[@dumbdemolition1012]

@gary9583 hopefully it goes better for you than it did me, mine started misfiring 5 days after i bought it and has been in the shop since (i brought it in on July 6th)

[@gary9583]

@dumbdemolition1012 OOFF, i am 4 days into ownership lol, lets see how it goes.

[@gary9583]

@@dumbdemolition1012 what happened to it exactly?

[@brycehosseini3319]

Ouch. Jags can be a menace when it comes to repairs. My plan is to save up for a really nice one and even then keep a few grand in reserve in case stuff breaks.

[@bicyclist2]

I love old Top Gear. I love the look of the XK8. Thank you.

[@throwback19841]

I actually love the trunk and back seat, not for the looks, and not for golf which is silly, its because I can properly use this car as a GT. We go away for a week at a time and can load up the trunk with luggage and shitloads of wine from nice wineries. Basically, Jags should have space for lots of loot and ill-gotten gains. Plus I can use it to haul parts for my race miata lol. I got a 5 speed transmission from a miata in there.

[@SDK2006b]

In 2004 Top Gear Jeremy tested the new XK8 at the same place and complain about Golf clubs spoiling the rear design.

[@CharlieVane21]

The XK8 still looks good in 2023, unlike Jeremy.

[@McBeamer94]

The front end and the profile have always been the best parts of the car's looks, both in Coupe and Convertible form. The rear end, while it's got a good-looking outline, was always a bit less impressive due to these taillights and the weird integration of the rear bumper. That rear bumper integration looks kinda like the one on the TVR Cerbera/Chimaera. And those taillights look out of place, some slimmer units would improve the rear end dramatically, I'd say. But the interior was gorgeous in that baroque leather and wood combo, couldn't be any more fitting than this. Plus, I still find the styling of the XK to be better proportioned than the DB7's. The DB7 looks a bit too tall in the B-Pillar and, also, there's no getting away from the fact that the taillights of the DB7 clash with the overall styling and look exactly like what they are: a Japanese part, coming from the 1990 Mazda 323F.

[@andyw3152]

290 bhp, just a little bit more than you can get with the Yaris GR!! Crazy how cars moved forward.

[@lewis72]

Yaris is horrible though. Ride quality hasn't moved forward. I'm not convinced that styling has either.

[@nearlyretired7005]

The most important thing is torque,not bhp!

[@lewis72]

@@nearlyretired7005 Most important for what ?

[@sherifkarnak]

The show top gear offers so much more quality content than any of the channels on the whole of youtube if not on tv as well

[@martinnevey7258]

I had an xj8 same era same engine....that v8 was fantastic and boy could it move...

[@Avrelivs_Gold]

The main difference with modern cars is that it looks flying above the road, it has a simple V8 and proper wheels. Today they just have zero ground clearance and scary wheels, so you cannot really drive fast, despite 180mph top speeds or 0-60 in 3s... and the engines don't last because of turbo.

[@kennymacm3031]

Can’t go moderately due to potholes!

[@philf5043]

When top gear WAS about cars. It wasnt broke and they tried to fix it but just messed it up. The car was the star and the XK8 still is in my book .

[@HolgerKuhrts]

This car in brg with beige leather, green tinted windows and a green top as a convertible was a dream come true, same as with the dark blue colour theme, unfortunately not so many people that could afford this car in those days would think likewise, so i had to pick the Mazda MX-5 Magic german edition instead :-D

[@HammAlexander]

I have one...many have a not rotting great xk8, they are great.

[@jimcottee9187]

Me too .. with the better 4.2 litre engine. Mine is still immaculate & everything works, with not a hint of rust, but I am from Down Under.

[@stevenlangdon-griffiths293]

Well Jeremy, according to the dvla, it didn’t make it till the oil fields ran dry.

[@willslow7291]

Would appear to no longer exist, however the silver convertible is still taxed and mot'ed!

[@peterarmstrong3298]

Jaguar sent nearly all the N reg demos to the crusher for some reason.

[@michakurowski2348]

This is the sexiest car/cat I've ever seen.

[@phil955i]

He has a great way with words does Jezza

[@throwback19841]

Well we know from the arctic special that Jezza definitely didnt put that tent up himself.

[@simonshagrat3309]

Awesome car

[@stokegaz1069]

I had a silver xk8, year 2000 model. 4.0. Loved driving it, but the rot soon reappeared on the back end and arches. (This had been bodged by the previous owner ) The cam chain tensioner gave up. So I sadly sold it for spares or repairs. I brought the car from a main dealer. And was an approved vehicle, With 12 months warranty. It died on me 2 months out of warranty ! Gutted at the time, lost about 12K.

[@Holakovskykarel97]

I love the rear end 👍

[@andrewmarsden1970]

That makes me feel old!

[@michaela3274]

Plot twist... Clarkson never did get a permit to take the XK8 for a spin and just took it from the showroom. *CEO furious at the guard* Why did you let drive off with the XK8? *Guard* But it's Jeremy Clarkson... He take cars for a spin... *CEO* But why!? If he crashes... *Guard* Sir. It's ok. He's got a JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG

[@daidinero7745]

The engine is capable of 150+🏁

[@S500-]

Jeremy Still Have opinion about People play Golf Love This Guy , And i Like Old Top Gear Clarkson Reviews.👍

[@SuperStig1992]

Buttertubs Pass is a breathtaking road

[@PompeyMatt17]

great looking cars...now worth about 6 grand...😳

[@trentweston8306]

The mention of Oasis made me wonder why they were never on star in a reasonably priced car. It could have been a Britpop special featuring Blur and Oasis racing against each other with Jay Kay as a shock guest to whip them all on the track.

[@mrstandfast2212]

Probably due to the fact that the Gallagher brothers, being from Burnage, only knew how to start a car using a a length of scaffolding pipe and a screwdriver.

[@romeoandthelonelygir]

He said exactly the same about the boot in the 2006 XK and that it was the fault of golf. He also took it to Yorkshire. Haha.

[@SunnyIntervalsORG]

"Sorry old chap, would you mind awfully opening the gate so I can go and test drive this Jaaag?"

[@LurchLures]

This looks stunning from the front and sounds great. But they should have got an Italian man to design the rear and then built it exactly like he designed it.

[@markrutledge66]

I have a Ninety eight x j r and I can't up believe that the controls on the steering wheel don't light up

[@peterbett3076]

42 valve V8! That’s amazing!

[@mbaqcytvav]

So that is 5.25 valves per cylinder. Whaaaaaat?

[@PompeyMatt17]

rest of the internet heard him say 32 valve

[@dreamdiction]

@@PompeyMatt17 He said 42. 2:56

[@peterbett3076]

I think he must have been thinking of 4.2 litre (the engine displacement) and fumbled those digits into the wrong place in his monologue. Weird that they didn’t bother doing another take though 🤷‍♂️

[@PompeyMatt17]

@@dreamdiction no he doesn't !! 🤣🤣

[@johnclayden1670]

By the cringe, they're holding their value .....

[@bryanfurys]

Hey Mate when you will upload more classical top gear videos?

[@acb1469]

Does anyone know who sings the song at the end of this video?

[@Petrospect]

Wondering the same thing, if you or anyone knows... do tell! Edit: Shazam finally worked, it's Miss You In a Heartbeat - The Law "Still. No rush. No rush at all!"

[@r.hagenau3541]

Does anyone else notice that Clarkson never left the 80's?

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

I can't get past that weird rear bumper.

[@RomanAlexander1]

I couldn't wait to see this episode, it could have been yesterday... A proper car programme...I remember being on a train between Casablanca and Rabat and having a long in depth conversation with two French businessmen about TG & JC.... Pity he is / was such a bully.....

[@thevdubber6918]

It only lasted until 2002 must of rotted away by then.

[@mattjacomos2795]

I was smitten by these when they came out, such a sexy looking body.... Until I recently watched one of the supercharged engines being torn down on I Do Cars.... OMG!

[@keithwhite3159]

I think he means 32 valve.

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

He SAID 32 valves!!! Get your ears syringed FFS!

[@benji5777]

The rear is the prettiest part of the car what’s Clarkson smoking lmao

[@bobcoats2708]

Oh Jeremy! 42 valve V8? I had to listen again to make sure I really heard that

[@tomshearman886]

He said 32

[@PompeyMatt17]

he actually emphasises the 30 bit 😁

[@Nico7g]

OMG!! music, angles, effects... terribles!! Anyway, the car is still beautiful

[@bghoody5665]

The wheels on the convertible were almost as bad as Clarkson's hair.

[@spencexxx]

The Brits make decent cheese. Seems they also make cares... not well, mind you, but they make them.

[@guazavara]

2:55 how many VALVES Jeremy? The condition to lend the car fir the review was to exagerate a little bit 😅😂😅😂

[@williamwalter4992]

A Camaro for rich guys... but still a beautiful car

[@playtimehulot7383]

Pure advertisment. Even in this times. Ford = Big money PS: "Better than a DB7". Ridiculous!

[@idontlikecops1]

Db7s suck ass

[@johntechwriter]

I've always rated the X308 generation's four-door sedan, the supercharged XJR in particular, to be far superior to the coupe version, the XK8 reviewed here. Not particularly beautiful, the XK8 can seat only two adults despite its size, and the non-supercharged version lacks the torque to move it along as a proper GT car should. What's more, it's a lot more expensive than the far more practical sedan. And as the years have passed, the XK8 has not aged well appearance-wise. Meanwhile the X308 sedan is considered by many to be the high point of Jaguar XJ sedans from their introduction in 1968 until now. I've owned three XJ sedans from this series, and they gave me excellent and reliable service. I miss them dearly, but they got too old to be everyday drivers, and I can't afford a weekend car.

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

Disagree completely. The XK8 has aged very well indeed, with plenty of people preferring it to the later X150 cars. For a car which came out in late 1996, the XK8 still looks superb due to all the E-Type styling cues.

[@Rimeau]

Useless rear seats? When my step father's brother took little me and my little brother for a ride in his brand new XK8 it was amazing! Also, if anyone is wondering: The convertible with license plate P715FRP seems to still be going strong, but the coupe N155BRW isn't.

[@richardprice7763]

Did Clarkson never see his hair in a mirror?

[@wookyfeet1416]

Hello im Like #990 ;) eh always fun watching jezza

[@davidm4099]

As good looking as that car was, it’s by far the most unreliable ever!!!

[@deanstanley5799]

And twenty years later most of them have rotted away !!

[@gallardogd560]

Mine is intact.

[@ironkcoony]

And BMW 840s are going through the roof.

[@jameslaumand3686]

Scripted show

[@manofweed1]

Why would anyone buy these in the early nineties, when BMW were at the top of their game ?.............Makes no sense !

[@reality-cheque]

I bought one! (in 1997). I considered the BMW and the MB SL - the Jag was 'streets ahead' of both. Now on my 5th XK (2013 DHC) - and love it! Had a Ferrari (1999 456MGTA) and Aston (2002 Vanquish) - but the Jags are unbeatable...perfect 'under-stated' GT's. Only a Bentley GTC might tempt me out of one...naaaah - they're for old farts! Maybe, when I'm 75.

[@StarHorseLover2012]

Well, anyone with a modicum of taste wouldn't touch a BMW. Top of their game? The 840 is by far not the best car BMW made.

[@stuartgillies1327]

Jeremy is completely unwatchable for me , pompous and completely unattached to society 🙄