If you're in the market for a top-of-the-line exotic sportscar, it used to be that the European automakers (like Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin) were the only place to go. The Acura NSX held down the fort for the Japanese automakers for a long while, but since its departure it's been back to business as usual.

Japan's carmakers, however, are in the midst of a renaissance in the supercar arena. The Nissan GT-R, once kept exclusively in the Japanese Domestic Market, has been taking on all challengers, and now Lexus has stepped up with the highly-anticipated new LFA. With a 550-horsepower V10 engine, a 3.7-second sprint to 60, a top speed in excess of 200 miles per hour and a $375,000 price tag, the Lexus LFA is capable of dicing it with the best Europe has to offer and holding its own.

Despite the extraordinary price tag, sources suggest that parent company Toyota will actually take a loss on each one sold. Which could help explain why they'll only be making 500 examples, making this one very attractive and – for everyone involved – very expensive piece of window dressing.

A few years back we went on one of the best road trips ever at the wheel of a Jaguar XK convertible. So we literally leapt at the chance to take the brand new one for a spin. Jaguar roadsters have always held a place of honor in the pantheon of stylish sports cars, dating back to the legendary XK120, forerunner of the current model - although stylistically the new XK owes more to the XK-E (E-Type) with its oval mouth. The XK120 referred to the car's top speed; when introduced in 1948 it was the world's fastest standard production car, with killer looks to match. It acquired an instant aura of glamor and cemented Jaguar's reputation forever when Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart cruised Hollywood in their XK120s like stylish gods. (We'll develop on this theme further in a later installment).

The XK120 evolved into the famous race-winning XK120-C, or C-Type, that in turn led to the wicked D-Type, made famous by Steve McQueen, and eventually the iconic E-Type, which as noted the current model most closely resembles. First unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961, the E-Type's legendary power to attract the opposite sex was phrased best by American motoring writer Henry Manney III, who dubbed it "The greatest crumpet-catcher known to man." Not a bad precedent for its more recent relation. While we didn't actually catch any crumpets with the new XK, it wasn't the car's fault as we were more interested in zooming down the road than cozying up to the local flora and fauna. Also there are a lot more outlandish-looking autos on the road these days; compared to these the XK exudes an elegant aura of restrained power that behooves its feline namesake; very British in a sense.

For 2010 the aluminum-bodied XK available as of this August is kitted out with an AJ-V8 Gen III 5.0-liter engine capable of delivering 385 hp and 515 Nm of torque (a supercharged version produces 510 hp and 625 Nm of torque). With these numbers the naturally aspirated version hits 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, while top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Some subtle, sporty updates over previous models have been made to the exterior without detracting from the car's stylistic heritage, including a new front end, new rear lights fitted with LED technology, a new rear body valance, body-colored side power vents, chrome-detailed inserts, and sleek alloy wheels.