Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
THERE is one very sporty little number shiny brightly in the Jaguar showroom in Sitra which could make a husband very happy this festive season, if the wife of the man who has almost everything is still unsure what to buy him.
I promise you, he will not be disappointed with the 2010 version of the XFR5 with a supercharged engine. It's bright red too, so what more could a man want?
The Jaguar is the favoured motor of some of Bahrain's leading media executives ... I should know because I have managed to sneak a space at the end of their car park.
And, I think if I had managed to reverse this mean machine in my parking spot I may have observed a few envious glances in my direction.
Unfortunately, there was only one in the showroom in mint condition and I think Mustafa Al Bastaki, the brand manager, must have got wind of my inferior parking abilities.
But he was willing to show me around this master class of motoring engineering which had one scribe suggest the loose-limbed XFR as 'sashaying through the turns with the grace of a big cat running down a fast-moving gazelle'.
The XFR is, of course, the new flagship car in an upgraded and expanded XF range for the 2010 model year. It boasts a new front bumper fascia with large air intakes, deeper sills, a vented hood, new 20-inch alloy wheels and quad tailpipes.
Inside, the XFR retains the XF's cool and charismatic interior design, though dark oak veneer is the standard wood trim, complementing a unique dark mesh-aluminum dash panel.
The XFR's front seats feature electrically adjustable bolsters for greater side support.
The big news is all under the skin: suspension tweaks that include magneto-rheological shocks, bigger brakes, an active differential, and the supercharged version of the all-new AJ-V8 Gen III engine.
The 5.0L Gen III has been designed in-house at Jaguar. The new engine is almost an inch shorter than the current 4.2L V-8, thanks to the relocation of the oil pump.
The aluminum block is now a high-pressure die-cast item with cross-bolted main bearing caps.
The four-valve cylinder heads are made from recycled aluminum, and the camshafts feature variable valve timing activated by the torque motions of the valves themselves instead of oil pressure, enabling the oil pump to be reduced in size.
The engine features what Jaguar claims is an industry-first direct-injection system with centrally mounted, multi-hole, spray-guided injectors.
The supercharged version features a Roots-type twin-vortex system blower with dual intercoolers and delivers those 510 hp from 6,000 to 6,500 rpm, while max torque is 461lb-ft from 2,500 rpm to 5,500 rpm, 21 per cent and 11 per cent increases over the supercharged 4.2. Jaguar claims the XFR will sprint from 0-to-60 mph in 4.7 sec and nail the standing quarter in 13.1 sec.
Faster, more precise, but with no loss of comfort or capability, the XFR has clearly built on the XF's fine foundation.
Clearly a snip at an asking price of around BD38,000. I'm informed the two-door convertible will be arriving in the kingdom shortly.
Perhaps the ideal car for her indoors if she delivers the suggested present for the man in her life!
Contact Mohammed Jalal & Sons on 17707070 for more details.
