Jaguar X-type Base Sedan 4-door on 2040-cars

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Jaguar brings the new XKSS to Jay Leno's Garage

Jay Leno is no stranger to the Jaguar XKSS, having driven Steve McQueen's no less. But that doesn't mean he would turn down a chance at another one, and certainly not the continuation model seen in this week's Jay Leno's Garage. This particular XKSS is the first of nine cars built to complete the car's original 1957 production run, which was cut short in a factory fire. The video covers many of the fascinating details that went into recreating the XKSS. Among them are Jaguar's acquisition of an original D-Type engine block to make new castings, and even replicating the type of type of steering wheel used back in the day. Most of the vehicle is made to be identical to the originals, with only a few changes made for usability. This includes better quality materials for the brake lines, and ethanol-resistant materials for the fuel tank. Because this particular XKSS was on its way to the LA Auto Show (where we saw it debut at the Petersen Museum), Leno didn't get a chance to take it for a spin. However, snippets of his drive in McQueen's car were added, since it's the same car for all intents and purposes. What Leno emphasizes is how modern the car feels, also noting that it feels lighter than many other classic Jaguars. To see all the details and impressions, check out the video above. Related Video:

Jaguar I-Pace EV has a new pedestrian warning sound: Listen to it here

Jaguar's production of its first electric car means it also has to deal with a problem everybody else has been trying to solve: noise, or rather, the lack thereof. People can hear an engine at low speeds when they're walking along a sidewalk. The same can't be said for silent-operating electric cars. We wrote about Chevrolet's latest solution to the noise problem a few weeks back, and now Jaguar is sharing what it came up with for the I-Pace. The noise it didn't use is almost more interesting than the one it did, though. Jag says its first iteration was meant to be spacecraft/UFO inspired, but apparently it was so convincing that people tended to look up at the sky instead of at the road. Engineers switched it to what seems like a pretty general hum sound for production. Take a listen yourself in the video above — you'll hear the noise at the 40-second mark, and a few other spots after that. The sound is emitted from a speaker behind the grille at speeds up to about 12 mph. It'll change in pitch and volume to correspond to the increasing or decreasing speed of the vehicle — it even changes tone when you shift into reverse to signal a change in direction. Jaguar says the noise is no longer needed at speeds above 12 mph because tire and wind noise become sufficient enough at that speed. Chevy turns the noise off on the Volt at about 20 mph, however, showing that manufacturers haven't really come to a consensus on what should be happening. A U.S. law that hasn't gone into effect yet will ask manufacturers to keep the noise at up to 18.6 mph, though. We happen to be partial to the jaguar growl heard right at the end of the video as a warning sound. That's how you make an entrance with a Jaguar. These kinds of systems are necessary to warn those who might be blind or visually impaired, but distracted walkers are a huge demographic of people needing a warning too. Everybody walks around with their head buried in a phone nowadays, making silent vehicles a hazard of our own habits. Jaguar says it specifically engineered the noise so that it doesn't intrude upon the cabin, so only pedestrians are bothered by the hum when slowly plodding through cities. Jaguar I-Pace pedestrian warning sound View 10 Photos Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green Jaguar Green Driving Technology Crossover SUV Electric Luxury pedestrian safety jaguar i-pace

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #323 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #323 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
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