I have a recently acquired XK. I am among the most sedate of drivers. I mean totally unprovocative. I get 20K miles from a set of tires and brakes but get this --- In the last few weeks as I approached or was overtaken by certain Porsche or BMW autos the drivers got totally "squirrely" on me.

One Porsche I overtook sped up, well past the speed limit, executed several high speed passing maneuvers till he was out of site and then slowed down again for me to catch up.

a BMW came up on me from the rear, passed on the left, moved over to the far right, allowed me to pass, fell in behind me, passed on the left again and roared out of site.

There are other XKs in this county, I'm sure, but I've never seen one. I kind of like the attention.

 

Do notice that it is almost always that "lesser" cars are the ones with something to prove.

During the early '80s I had a "built" Mustang that gave me lots of pleasure in blowing away anything that sold for many multiples more than the little Ford. During the '90s it was a "built" twin turbo, 3rd-generation RX-7 that did the same, until I finally totaled it. These days, an other, even more radically "built" twin turbo RX-7 that makes life sad for owners of high priced sports cars silly enough to try to keep up with it. I just had it out today and, as usual, was amazed at the relatively civilized, yet race car like handling and speeds of the Mazda.

On the other hand, when people had challenged me while I was driving expensive sports cars (had two Lamborghinis), I tended to not take the challenges, fully knowing that their cars may be sleepers, similar to what I have had and did not feel like getting blown off by 600 HP, 2000lbs Honda Civics :-). Needless to say with only 300 HP in the XK, I would not even dream about racing too many cars.

Albert

 

They may bother you but it's a wise idea to keep calm and stay away from any silly challenge in public roads .

 

Similar experience the other day with a BMW M3. Doesn't matter what the power of the vehicle is that is hassling you - you know that a jag is much nicer to look at!

 

I have given into temptation a couple times and put a Cayenne, Audi TT and modded Mustang in thier place with my XKR

However one rainy a Subaru WRX blew by me and I was smart enough not to pursue, especially against AWD in slippery conditons.

Not to mention none of this was on the highway

 

After a certain age sin and temptation is easier to resist. Still, a super charged XKR would be soooo sweet.

 

Also, remember that illegal shenanigans should never be posted in a public forum. lol. First, Teh Intarwebz are an unforgiving place for trolls. Second, they're public record.

But I have had the same issue a couple of times lately. Most recently last week a Camaro got all jumpy at the line at a traffic light. A lot of people really don't realize what lurks under the XKRs hood.

 

I have not had any outright challenges while sat at the lights since buying my XKR. Given the amount of high performance exotica in Las Vegas I suspect that an XKR is no big deal.

I have been subject to looky-loos. I picked up a buddy who needed a ride to work and when I drove up and back in his cul-de-sac, his neighbours kids were dragging their dad out of the garage to look at my car as I drove back down the hill.

 

Further to my experiences with Squirrely behavior on the part of certain other drivers when encountering the Jag XK. And a safety warning to boot!

Be careful when merging into free way traffic. I have had two recent incidents of drivers speeding up to block my merge, as if this somehow proves the superiority of of their ride over the XK. Careful boys. Don't be provoked. It's very dangerous.

I was on a 2 lane road that narrowed down to my favorite 1 lane 5 mile twisty road. The pick up truck behind me was anxious to pass on the right before we entered the 1 lane. Needless to say I did not want him on my front bumper for the next 5 miles and he did not succeed. It made him mad to the point he executed a high speed illegal pass on a blind curve while giving me the finger. He drove the next 5 miles over the max capability of his truck while I idled at half speed behind him.

These XKs don't always bring out the best in people. And that includes XK drivers. Don't let the squirrels provoke you. They will get you killed.

 

+1
I've been trying to unlearn many of those bad habits myself for the last 5 years or so. Not that I try to race or show off, but that I have no patience for rude or bad drivers. It often provokes a very bad (and to be honest, an unacceptable) reaction from me that I can only review afterwards as "That was darn stupid of me".
Recently The XK kinda helped me control myself for a couple reasons. First was she's not an XKR, so there are lots of cars on the road today that can walk from her (including the Lexus with a 3.5L V6 I just traded in.). Second is I'm in a "blue collar" county, and proboably one of the only Jags here.... (I cant blend in to the crowd any more.)

I'm hoping these reality checks will help make me a more forgiving driver as I simply relax, smile, and let her good looks stun the crowds.

Vince

 

I've had an XJS, XK8, XK and XKR and they do seem to attract the wrong kind of attention - mostly from youngsters in Japanese coupes but I frequently get minivans 3ft from my rear bumper when I'm doing the speed limit, SUV's pulling out right in front of me or using up the entire road when approacing me on narrow streets. And, once, someone rear-ended me just for the fun of it (I was completely stationary at the time).

I recently bought a thoroughly beaten up 20 year old Mitsubishi van for transporting building materials and the difference in the behaviour of other drivers is definitely noticeable. People move out of the way when they see it coming, stop to let me pull out, keep a respectful distance from my rear bumper and don't get aggressive when I'm doing exactly the speed limit.

 

I have far more people awe at this car then I do with my vette.