1970 Jaguar Xke Roadster Series Ii Orig 4.2 Litre 3x Black Chrome Wires on 2040-cars

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Jaguar may join the FWD, small-car parade

Was it right for Chevrolet to detune the 1975 Corvette's base engine to 165 horsepower? Was Aston Martin wrong to make the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet? Is BMW crazy to be testing the new 1 Series with three-cylinder engines and front-wheel drive? It seems now, just as in the 1970s and 1980s, that emissions regulations and social considerations are driving some automakers to adopt unbefitting practices to maintain acceptance in the eyes of governments and consumers. Jaguar has jumped on the bandwagon, and is considering development of small, frugal, front-wheel-drive cars to help lower Jaguar Land Rover's average vehicle CO2 levels in light of tightening European emissions regulations, Autocar reports.
By 2020, the European Union expects the model range of every manufacturer to average 95 grams per kilometer, which is a new law passed by the European Parliament in April. Manufacturers who make more than 300,000 vehicles per year must meet these targets, and JLR is expected to be producing up to 700,000 vehicles per year by then. CO2 regulations after 2020 will only get stricter, as EU politicians already are talking about lowering CO2 levels to between 68 g/km and 78 g/km. (To put that in perspective, Autocar posits that driving a fully charged electric vehicle in Europe produces about 75 g/km when factoring in the power-generation infrastructure.)
Jaguar has some choices here, but so far they all have drawbacks. It could develop a new, compact chassis architecture for a line of compact vehicles, but the investment required for such a project could be prohibitively expensive. Jaguar has been looking into using the Land Rover Evoque platform for a small SUV, Autocar reports, but Land Rover brand manager John Edwards raises issue with such a plan, saying it may not be financially feasible.

Stolen Jaguar E-Type reunited with owner after 46 years

Barely six months into owning it, Ivan Schneider had his Jaguar E-Type stolen from outside of his Manhattan apartment in 1968. Now, 46 years later, the somewhat beat-up convertible has been recovered just before it was about to be shipped to a new owner in The Netherlands.
US Customs agents at the Port of Los Angeles found the car during a routine check, and they contacted Schneider to arrange returning it to him. When the feds found it, the E-Type was already in a shipping container ready to go to its new owner. The condition is hardly perfect today, including rough paint and a replacement door, but Schneider is ecstatic to get his classic back.
Understandably, the now 82-year-old never thought he would see his droptop Jaguar again. Schneider told the LA Times that he bought the E-Type for $5,000 after winning a case as a lawyer, and it was originally painted gray. Now, he plans to have to have the vintage convertible restored to its former glory in New York.

Chris Harris finds the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe rather drifty

Our own Matt Davis may have called the new Jaguar F-Type R Coupe "one heady rascal," but our review was disappointingly short on drifting, tire smoke and general, English shenanigans. You know, the sort of things that Chris Harris from Drive excels at.
Actually, relative to Harris' other reviews, this one is rather serious. There's a good recap of the F-Type on the road, with Harris referencing the car's "great bottom" and "amazing ass," quite frequently. Surprisingly, Harris says the more powerful F-Type R is just "incrementally" faster than the 495-horsepower F-Type V8 S Convertible. Following the on-road portion, it's off to the track. You can probably predict what goes on there. Overall, aside from some quibbles, Harris has nothing but praise for the newest cat.
We've got the entire video available below. Scroll down, have a look and let us know what you think in Comments.