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Jay Leno's Garage drives Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS

Steve McQueen might be the coolest American male of the 20th century. With movies like Bullitt and Le Mans, McQueen established himself as the king of cool of his era, and on the list of actors you would pick for a fantasy racing team - he or Paul Newman are the natural first choices. The latest Jay Leno's Garage video highlights one of McQueen's most special cars - a 1956 Jaguar XKSS.
Just 16 XKSS models were made because a fire at the Jaguar factory halted production. It was meant to be a street version of the company's very successful D-Type racer, with a modified version of its 3.4-liter straight-six-engine and a four-speed manual gearbox. McQueen clearly had an eye for great vehicles. He drove his Jag around Los Angeles years after it was a cutting-edge piece of technology. Since then, it became part of the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA. Autoblog's The List even took a ride in it when the show visited the museum.
The XKSS is one of the pinnacles of automotive design of the '50s, and its association with McQueen makes this example even more extraordinary. Leno is in love with the car from the moment he sees it, and it's hard to argue with him. Between its emphasized curves and raspy exhaust, this is one sexy Jag. Scroll down to get an eyeful and earful from one of McQueen's favorite cars.

More than 30 vintage Jaguars found, forgotten for decades in a greenhouse

A long, long time ago, some unnamed person realized that storing motorized precious metals in a barn would eventually be passe. This visionary hoarder decided, instead, to collect an assemblage of more than 30 vintage Jaguars in a greenhouse in Beaulieu, England. To passers-by, it would look like someone was tending a crop of blue tarps. To us, thanks to Beaulieu Garage, it looks not like a barn find but rather the first "greenhouse find." The classic car restoration shop wrote in a Facebook post, "we were asked to help clear a private collection of cars," and when Beaulieu Garage saw the array, "An offer was made," and now it has a whole lot of rusted metal looking for good homes. It took a week to get everything out, and the shop said the "parts alone have taken up 12 storage racks, with engines and gearboxes included." While a barn isn't the best place to park a car for decades, a greenhouse is arguably worse. The glass house is a combination of maximum UV levels and rain forest humidity, the ambient moisture free to rust and rot everything the sun can't kill. And early Jaguars aren't known for robust defenses against the elements. Most of the cars are E-Types, many of those the early and more elegant 1960s models. Among the trove are some cars that "you could probably get running in a couple of days," but the photos show there are plenty of long-term projects that rate effort comparable to The Pacific Campaign. Incredibly, Beaulieu Garage is confident that "All will see the road again," assuming the worst problem children can find empathetic buyers. The first salable car has been listed, a left-hand drive, 1960 XK150 3.8-Liter Drophead Coupe with matching numbers that was originally sent to New York. This is said to be the last XK150 the factory painted a cream color, and the fourth-last XK150 ever built. Scraps of the red leather interior remain, the sand colored top looks to be in the same condition. After eight years in the greenhouse, Beaulieu Garage charmingly describes the XK's previous digs as "Dry Stored in the UK." The convertible comes with a heritage certificate, and will cost GBP40,000 ($52,654 U.S.) to trailer home. A Facebook post from today says the shop will get parts lists and pricing up shortly, so stay tuned if you have a lot of time and money you need to find occupations for.

Frankfurt Motor Show Notes: Why Jaguar decided to build an SUV

It was inevitable. Jaguar had to make an SUV, and that notion became reality this week with the debut of the F-Pace, an all-wheel-drive five-seater that will launch in the United States next spring. Some purists may cringe. But in an era when Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, and other traditional luxury brands are all building or (planning to build) SUVs, Jaguar had to evolve. While it seems like a leap for Jaguar to make an SUV, longtime design director Ian Callum said it's been in the works for years. "The first time I was asked the question was when I arrived 16 years ago," he said. So in 1999 (and probably well before that), Jaguar was already thinking SUV. What took so long? "It wasn't a priority," Callum said. Jaguar was concentrating on fixing its existing lineup, which was pockmarked with holes and poorly selling products, like the X-Type. Along the way, Jaguar and sister brand Land Rover were sold by Ford to Indian conglomerate Tata Motors. Flash forward several years, and Jaguar and Land Rover are both experiencing a resurgence in the United States and around the world. Jaguar's lineup is flush with the E-Type's modern successor, the F-Type, plus a new version of the XF. The XJ received a 2016 freshening, and the smaller XE sedan is on the way. Jaguar put its house in order as other factors conspired to make a crossover timely. Fuel prices stayed relatively low, and consumers in the US and China remained steadfast in their love for utility vehicles of all stripes. Making a Jaguar SUV became a priority. "The world was telling us in no uncertain terms this is what they wanted," Callum said. "Not to be in the sector would be a little naive for the sake of purity." Jaguar proved its intent two years ago when it revealed the C-X17 crossover concept at Frankfurt, and the final production model is close to the prototype's striking looks. "I thought we managed to maintain that spirit," Callum said. It's a true Jaguar, with cues from the F-Type, 1968 XJ, and other famous models. Who would have thought Jaguar would make an SUV? "I certainly didn't," Callum admitted. But the F-Pace is here. If Callum is okay with it, purists can be, too. Quick Hits Opel retrenches for 2016 and beyond Opel used the Frankfurt show to display its new generation of the Astra, a critical vehicle line for the German division of General Motors.