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Junkyard Gem: 2001 Jaguar XJ8

After Ford bought Jaguar in 1989, the bosses in Dearborn finally got their hands on a storied luxury brand that would be taken more seriously than Lincoln outside of North America. A fresh infusion of dollars worked wonders to improve the quality of Jaguar's engineering and assembly, and development of a modern DOHC V8 engine immediately took a high priority. That engine made its debut in the 1997 Jaguar XK8, then went into the engine compartment of the very first production Jaguar sedan to get factory V8 power: the XJ8. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of that first generation of XJ8, found crashed in a Colorado self-service boneyard. The 1998-2003 XJ8 lived on the final iteration of the mid-1980s-vintage XJ40 platform, the X308. While this means that the X308 had chassis ancestry stretching back to the British Leyland era, Ford's money ensured that it would be built better than its predecessors had been during the cash-strapped bad old days. Exterior styling wasn't much changed from that of the XJ300. Inside, the old XJ40 dash finally went away for good, replaced by a design more appropriate for the new century. Jaguar couldn't compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz on leading-edge chassis engineering, but its heritage was hard to top. The engine is a 4.0-liter DOHC V8 with variable valve timing, rated at 290 horsepower and 290 pound-feet. Ford should get credit for funding Jaguar's own engine instead of simply stuffing some member of its Modular V8 family in here. If you wanted a manual transmission in your XJ8, the answer was a firm no. In fact, Ford ended up using the 3.9-liter version of this engine in the Ford Thunderbird and Lincoln LS. The MSRP for the base 2001 XJ8 was $56,355, or about $98,725 in 2024 dollars. The 2001 BMW 740i listed at $62,900 ($110,190 after inflation) and the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S 430 cost $70,800 ($124,030 now). Perhaps the $51,745 BMW 540i and the $56,050 Mercedes-Benz E 430 ($90,649 and $98,190 in today's money, respectively) were more realistic sales rivals for the XJ8, though. This car's interior is a bit grimy but appears to have been in nice enough condition when it arrived here. What happened? This happened. On a near-quarter-century-old European luxury sedan, body damage like this usually results in the insurance company declaring the car totaled. Remember when Dennis Tito paid $20 million to become the world's first space tourist? Jaguar could have saved him some money. You'll never, ever lose it in the parking lot.

2017 Jaguar F-Type SVR is the quickest kitty in Geneva

"Always follow your local speed limits," says a disclaimer at the bottom of Jaguar's press materials for its new F-Type SVR. Granted, every single new car you can buy in America is capable of accelerating well past the highest official speed limit in the United States. This new Jaguar, though, is another matter entirely, boasting as it does a top speed of 200 miles per hour. Not since the famed XJ220 has Jaguar offered such a compelling speedster. Whereas that slinky coupe relied on a 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 engine and a five-speed manual transmission, the 2017 F-Type SVR benefits from a supercharged, 5.0-liter V8 pushing out 575 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic. Also unlike the supercar of old, the SVR's all-wheel-drive system means it can potentially serve as an all-weather sportscar. My, how times have changed. Looking past its headline-grabbing 200-mph capabilities, the F-Type SVR can accelerate from 0-60 in a scant 3.5 seconds in coupe form. Buyers who prefer the wind in their hair get slightly lower performance peaks, with a 186-mph top speed and a 3.9-second run to 60. Either way, this Jag will make its owner look good, with aggressive hood vents, massive air intakes in the fascia and a carbon-fiber spoiler that automatically raises and lowers from the car's rear haunches. Considering that the F-Type V8 is already one of the best sounding cars for sale in America, we have no doubt that the SVR, with its brand-new inconel titanium exhaust system, will emit a sound second only to God's own chariot. Pricing starts at $126,945 for the coupe or $129,795 for the convertible. If we have one complaint, it's that British Racing Green is not one of the seven available colors. For shame, Jaguar. Make ours Ultra Blue and we'll forgive you, just this once. View 16 Photos Related Video:

Audi E-Tron vs. Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X: How they compare on paper

The all-electric crossover segment is suddenly heating up. Tesla was first to market with its Model X, and the California-based automaker has a several-year head start on the rest of the field. But now it has competition, with the Jaguar I-Pace already hitting dealerships across the globe and the just-announced Audi E-Tron hot on their heels. We decided to see how Audi's new entrant compares with its British and American rivals, so we downloaded their spec sheets (at least those that are available) and dumped them all into the spreadsheet you see below. As you'll soon find out, there are lots of similarities between these three electric crossovers, but each has a unique selling point or two with which to entice buyers. View 24 Photos Performance Note that we're using the Tesla Model X 75D for this comparison, since that's the model that is closest in price to the Jaguar and Audi entries. If you really want the fastest and most powerful electric CUV available, you're going to want to look at Tesla's ludicrous P100D model, but you'd better be willing to just about double the price you see in the chart above. With that out of the way, these particular electric crossovers are all pretty quick. The Jaguar boasts the quickest 0-60 time, but in the real world, that half-second advantage over the 75D won't amount to much. The Audi is a full second behind the Jaguar, and a little over a half second slower to 60 than the Tesla. A 5.5-second 0-60 time, though, still means the E-Tron will be able to squirt away from traffic lights quicker than the rest of the morning commuters. As far as battery capacity, Audi leads the way with 95 kWh, which is 5 more than the Jag and a whopping 20 more than the Tesla. Until we get estimated range figures, though, we won't know what the extra capacity means in the real world. In other words, stay tuned. View 74 Photos Exterior and interior dimensions The Jaguar is the smallest of these three 'utes, inside and out. The Tesla Model X is the largest. Does that make the Audi just right? Maybe, but only if you don't need a third row — the Model X is the only one of this trio that offers seating for six or seven passengers (depending on whether the buyer opts for a second-row bench or individual chairs). A smaller size may be a boon for drivers who often have to fit into tight spaces, but those slinky dimensions mean the Jaguar's cargo capacity is well behind that of the Audi and not even close to the cavernous Tesla. Tesla Motors Inc.