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$4.5M Maryland mansion has a brick street with classic cars in its basement

At one extremely large residence in Potomac, Maryland, the residents need not call the driver to head into town. Instead, the people who lived and will live in this house can simply take a walk downstairs to hit up the post office, or the theater, or the massage parlor. These faux shops are just a small part of a re-created old-style downtown strip, complete with a brick drive and classic collector cars.  Brought to light by Twitter user @victoriaxxviii, 11610 Highland Farm Road, Potomac, Maryland, is a 12,089-square-foot gated mansion that sits on four acres, with the opportunity to buy two more next to it. It has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms in the main house, a guest house with two bedrooms and a bathroom, and a pool house with a full kitchen and a bathroom. The place also has a heated pool and a tennis court. Yet, none of that would be of interest if not for the items hidden in the home's finished basement.  Best understood by seeing the photos above, the lower level of the house was built to resemble an old town. In addition to the aforementioned stores, it also has a sports shop, a flower shop, an inn, a tattoo parlor, a church, and most important, an auto repair shop and gas station. The repair shop is key, as there are several collectible cars positioned throughout the winding town road. Seen in the photos are a Citroen 2CV, a Jaguar E-Type roadster, a scooter, and a third vintage car that appears to be from the '20s or '30s.  The house was built in 1987 and features four garage spots. It is currently listed for $4.5 million, but it is unclear if the downstairs cars are included in the purchase. Visit Washington Fine Properties for more photos of the house and extra information about its amenities. Related Video:    

Jaguar may enter Formula E to advance electric portfolio

The FIA Formula E Championship looks poised to gain another major automaker. According to reports from the UK, Jaguar Land Rover is preparing to announce a new electric vehicle strategy this week. And that is tipped to include participation in the all-electric racing series. According to Sky News, Jaguar's electric racing program would give the British carmaker the opportunity to showcase its prowess in electric propulsion. Quoting an unnamed insider, the UK news service reported that Formula E "offers live testing for electrification technologies in areas such as batteries and drivetrains; that's why it looks valuable to them." The program would likely be launched in conjunction with Williams, the F1 team with which it partnered on development of the aborted C-X75 hybrid supercar project recently unearthed for a starring role in the latest James Bond film Spectre. Williams helped develop the battery system that powers the electric spec racer used in Formula E. The partnership could take over from the Trulli team that is expected to soon drop out of the series. JLR wouldn't be the first automaker to participate in electric racing. Audi supports the Abt team, Renault the e.Dams outfit, and PSA Peugeot Citroen's DS brand the Virgin Racing squad. Mercedes and Volvo have also been reported to be looking carefully at participation, while BMW provides support vehicles for the series. Jaguar participates in vintage racing and Land Rover runs the Bowler off-road racing series. However, the last time the company supported a top-level works racing program was between 2000 and 2004 when Jaguar Racing (the precursor to today's Red Bull team) competed in Formula One. It has since offered the XKR GT2 racer and has been rumored to be considering a return to sports car racing, but the trend towards electrification now appears to be driving the Formula E initiative instead. We're waiting to hear back on requests for comment from Jaguar. But Sky reports that an official announcement will be made on Tuesday, so watch this space. Related Video:

Jaguar Land Rover signs manufacturing contract with Magna Steyr

Jaguar Land Rover is in the midst of implementing big plans. Those include a raft of new models, and a series of new manufacturing facilities to build them. It seems, however, that the former is outpacing the latter, as the British automaker has just announced a new manufacturing contract to have some of its vehicles built off-site. The latest deal is with Magna Steyr, the contract manufacturer based in Graz, Austria. That could see a Land Rover produced at the same facility that has handled the Mercedes G-Class since 1979, or a Jaguar at the same place that assembled the Aston Martin Rapide until 2012 when production was moved back to the UK. The big question at this point is just what JLR will choose to have Magna build on its behalf. The British automaker isn't saying at this point, but a spokesman confirmed to Autoblog that it will be a future product – not an existing line moved from its current production site to the contract manufacturer, as Mercedes recently did with the R-Class. A timeline wasn't announced at this early stage, either, but we're told it will take about 24 months before new Jaguars or Land Rovers start rolling out of the plant in Austria. Just what those new vehicles will be remains to be seen, but Jaguar Land Rover has a number of new products on their way. It is expected to reveal in the near future a new Defender, a replacement for the current LR4/Discovery, the new Evoque convertible, a new XJ flagship sedan, and possibly a new coupe and convertible to take the place of the old XK. We'll soon see the new Jaguar F-Pace, which may be followed by additional crossovers as well. The company also recently introduced the new XE, XF, and Discovery Sport models, though given the timeframes, they'll almost certainly be produced at JLR's existing facilities. It recently opened its first overseas plant in China, has another one under construction in Brazil, and is also said to be considering a plant in North America on either side of the US-Mexican border. Jaguar Land Rover Signs Contract Manufacturing Agreement With Magna Steyr Whitley, UK - Jaguar Land Rover has agreed a manufacturing partnership with Magna Steyr, an operating unit of Magna International Inc, to build some future vehicles in Graz, Austria.