FANCY FEAST; A year with Jaguar's XKR convertible. It's a good thing.(News)(Jaguar Cars Ltd.)

Byline: NATALIE NEFF

To appreciate the beauty of Jaguar's big two-door seriously, you must behold it in the flesh. For some reason, the long, flowing lines and commanding presence of the XK lose their impact when printed on cheap stock or lit up in liquid crystal, resulting in the truly gorgeous machine looking far too corporate, too Ford Taurus circa 2000.

But walk up to one in real life or catch a glimpse as one flashes down the road, and the magic of Ian Callum's design reveals itself in brilliant high definition. It's a pretty little pussycat, to be sure, its taut body lacking superfluity of ornamentation beyond a handful of punctuation marks such as its hood and side vents.

It has technical sophistication to match, too, and not simply because it comes with all the electronics expected in a luxury car. From its bones to its skin, the XK is built almost entirely of aluminum, with stamped panels of the lightweight metal variously welded, glued and riveted to an aluminum body-in-white.

Of course, when AutoWeek got a chance to pluck one of these beauties for its own use over the course of a year, we opted not only for the R version of the car, with its big power and bigger cachet, but the XKR in convertible form-just in time for summer.

A host of body modifications distinguish the R from lesser (relatively speaking) XKs. These include a unique front bumper, aluminum mesh grille and hood vents and four exhaust tips peeking out back. Inside are seats with heavier bolstering and, in case you forget why you paid an extra $11,000 for the XKR convertible over the standard drop-top, a sprinkling of R logos.

The XKR also gets a 420-hp version of the 4.2-liter V8 found in the base car, the additional 120 horses delivered courtesy of a supercharger. Underneath, you'll find a familiar chassis setup, with unequal-length wishbones suspending each corner of the car but with stiffer spring rates and larger brakes than on the standard XK.