Jaguar XKR back in black

Only 10 XKR Portfolio coupes will be available for sale in Australia at a cost of $246,000.

The 4.2 litre supercharged sports coupe will come in 'Celestial Black' with 20-inch Cremona five-spoke alloy wheels, alloy and leather gearshift selector, soft grab door handles, contrast upholstery stitching, leather edged mats with a Jaguar logo and distinctive Portfolio treadplates on the doorsills.

The XKR Portfolio also marks the first production example of Jaguar's new partnership with audio entertainment specialists Bowers and Wilkins.

Taking Jaguar's 525W Premium Audio system with Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound as a starting point, Bowers and Wilkins have crafted a signature speaker system specifically for the XKR's cabin.

It has high-output, low-distortion Kevlar mid-range speakers and specially designed aluminium dome tweeters.

Jaguar's Special Vehicles team also has worked alongside motorsport brake manufacturer Alcon to create the largest, most powerful brakes a production Jaguar has yet carried.

Alcon is a technical partner to the Honda F1 Racing Team and their brakes have been used on the 2003-05 Indy Racing champions.

The XKR Portfolio brakes comprise huge 400mm discs at the front and 350mm discs at the rear with high-performance brake pads and stiff, lightweight monobloc calipers.

The red-coloured brake calipers with R branding feature six pistons at the front and four at the rear.

They are designed to dissipate heat and cool the braking system quickly to prevent fade.

The discs have crescent-shaped grooves to keep the pads free of grit and debris, which could impair their effectiveness.

This also prevents thermal stress raisers or hotspots which can induce judder.