Following on from the...

Following on from the spy shots we revealed in issue 867, this week"s Auto Express magazine exclusively brings you images of the car which is set to give BMW"s M6 and the Mercedes SL55 AMG a real fright.

Visually it"s a stunner, with extended wheelarches, a subtle bodykit and a boot spoiler. There are also stability enhancing under-floor venturi tunnels, which emerge at the rear alongside quad exhaust pipes.

The look is completed by a huge bonnet power bulge - which continues over the roof - and deep front air intakes, necessary to help the supercharged 4.2-litre V8 breathe.

Likely to have in excess of 400bhp and around 550Nm of torque, it won"t be much more powerful than the outgoing XKR, but with an advanced all-aluminium chassis and body, it will be around 90kg lighter. That improved power-to-weight ratio should mean 0-60mph in five seconds and a 50-70mph time well under the XK8"s 3.1 seconds - performance that matches its brawnier but heavier German rivals. Top speed will be limited to 155mph.

Channeling all that power to the rear wheels will be the XK8"s new six-speed automatic gearbox, complete with steering wheel-mounted paddles - but expect the "box to offer even quicker shifts. With a tuned exhaust system, the XKR should sound meaner, too.

Handling promises to be first-class. As well as being lighter, the XKR"s aluminium chassis is also stiffer and with a re-tuned version of the XK8"s CATS adaptive damping system, uprated springs plus a faster steering rack, even sharper responses are likely.

Electronic aids will include two-stage traction and stability control, capable of allowing the car to slide slightly before the system intervenes. The inside will feature more supportive bucket-style seats plus a host of standard kit, including rain-sensing wipers and a six-CD changer with MP3 compatibility.

Set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September and on sale later in the year, XKR prices should start at around н‚бЈ60,000. A convertible version will arrive in 2007.