1989, a veritable Greek chorus of doomsayers lined up to forecast the demise

of legendary make, which would surely follow its amalgamation into a great

gray corporate monolith.

Events have obviously proved otherwise, and with the arrival of the

stunning new Jaguar XK8, we think it's time for those gloomy prophets to

turn in their robes. Not only is Jaguar back on track in terms of quality

and reliability--a turnaround directly attributable to Ford's stewardship--it's

also back in the sports car business, the wellspring of Jaguar legend.