The Jaguar XFR 5.0 V8

Dealer Limited Editions don’t usually catch much attention beyond their local or regional market zone. The Jaguar XFR 5.0 V8 was different. With the full blessing of the factory, the Stratstone Dealer Group pulled off something of a major coup when they commissioned a car that caught the attention of classic car enthusiasts looking for something that had that special charismatic appeal that would render it almost an instant classic for the future.

One such enthusiast to fall head over heels in love with the car is none other than the legendary martial artist, Sensei Brian McKinney. Casting an eye over the car’s seductive profile outside Brian’s Seven Stars Sanctuary on the Wirral, one can immediately see his choice of vehicle says a great deal about the man, who like the Midnight Black XFR he owns, is something of a classic one-off martial arts svelte stealth machine.

“Brian, first tell me about your car, please.

My particular car is number 13 out of 50 Special Limited Editions.

To celebrate 100 years of Jaguar Racing victories at the Le Mans Racetrack, Jaguar teamed up with Stratstone to build 50 Le Mans Special Edition XFRs. They built 25 in Polaris White and 25 in Midnight Black.

Due To The Model’s Rarity, From the build, the car went straight into the Collectable Jaguar Heritage Sector, with many of the 50 vehicles going Into private collections.

As we are talking about a special edition based on the XFR model, we are dealing with a 5.0 litre supercharged V8 engine that delivers 510 hp, pushing the car to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and up to a limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

The list of exterior modifications includes a black front grille with a colour-coded grille surround, chrome finish twin bonnet louvres with supercharged script and 20” gloss black wheels with Jaguar R brakes and red centre caps.

As for the interior, this is gifted with personalised sill plaques, embossed leather headrests, a gear selector carrying the Stratstone Le Mans emblem, as well as piano black veneer with a dark mesh aluminium dash and soft grain leather with contrast tailored stitching on the instrument panel

This particular car has also been further upgraded and has been tuned with a Viezu upsized supercharger pulley, a full racing Silverstreak Exhaust system, K&N Air Intake, Full ECU Remap, Gearbox Remap, Top Speed Limiter removed and has now been dyno tested at 610bhp and ran 215mph on the dyno.

It is the fastest car I have ever owned!”

So much for the car, what about the man’s professional standing? Well, if you go to his website you will discover the following description of a little of who he is and what he does.

‘Master Brian Mckinney’s Seven Stars Sanctuary has been established for decades with a strong history of Martial Arts in Wirral and beyond. Every week classes and seminars take place covering; Combat & Self Defence, Karate, Wushu (Kung Fu), Kickboxing, Anglo Celtic Stick as well as Healing Arts Such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Classes are suitable for all different abilities and students can book private lessons with Master McKinney.

The location is also a sanctuary for Military Veterans and heroes of War. Events are popular throughout the community and the cafe runs through the spring and summer months. There is even a motor club night for cars and bikes on Mondays and Wednesdays – not to be missed!’

Brian J McKinney is the Founder of the Seven Stars Martial Arts Association and the British K9 Association as well as a Professional Instructor of Combat And Healing Arts.’

On a personal level, I have found the man to be not only passionate about his lifelong devotion to Martial Arts but also a humble, caring individual dedicated to making people's lives better. It also has to be said that he is beyond a shadow of a doubt, a Petrolhead.

To find out more about how Master McKinney may be able to assist you, click on the Seven Stars link below.

Seven Stars