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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.

Jaguar deletes decade's worth of Instagram posts, fuels speculation

Jaguar has made the enigmatic decision of deleting about a decade's worth of posts from its official Instagram account. The company then fueled speculation by posting three close-up images that show the XJR-9 (pictured), a prototype that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988. The three posts are captioned "flash back," "genesis" and "prologue," respectively. The first shows part of the cover fitted over the XJR-9's passenger-side rear wheel arch, the second shows the top part of the rear end, and the third shows a center-locking wheel. What's odd is that there is no big anniversary linked to the car: the XJR-9 won its last race during the 1989 season and it stopped racing shortly after. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. And, even if there was a major anniversary for the firm to celebrate, what's the point of deleting hundreds of posts? We know that Jaguar hopes to become an electric-only brand by 2030, so it's not unreasonable to assume that it might want a fresh start, but that's three years away. And, why mark the beginning of what's marketed as new era with photos of a car that was powered by a mid-mounted 7.0-liter V12? While this is pure speculation, we have two possible answers. First, a limited-edition version of an existing car inspired by the XJR-9 could be around the corner. The 2022 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans starts on June 11, so we could see it there. Alternatively, the Goodwood Festival of Speed will open its doors on June 23 and run until June 26; that's another plausible venue for the hypothetical unveiling. Second, the brand could be preparing to announce a return to endurance racing after a long hiatus. Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini and Cadillac are among the companies that will race in the upcoming LMDh category, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jaguar ended Porsche's winning streak in 1988; is posting photos of the XJR-9 on Instagram a way to announce it's digging up the hatchet? Keep in mind that none of this is official. All we know for sure at this point is that the brand's SV division will reveal a new car on June 1, 2022. It posted a preview image on its Instagram account, which is separate from the main Jaguar account and whose posts are still up. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Jaguar C-Type Continuation available for 8 lucky people

2019 Jaguar I-Pace Review: The EV age is approaching

It feels like we're anxiously inching up the initial mountain of a roller coaster track – click, click, click. On the other side is a massive plunge into a widespread electric future where EV's aren't just acceptable alternatives to gas-powered cars, they're superior. There's indeed a veritable train of luxury EVs coming soon, clicking up that track, but the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace is the first from a big-name luxury brand to crest it, providing that first tinge of anticipation for the ride to come. It's wildly fun, surprisingly practical and a more polished product than the perpetually rough-around-the-edges Teslas. It also reimagines what Jaguar can be while also staying true to key elements of its past and present. Driving the silky, effortlessly torquey old Jaguar XF Supercharged was intoxicating, and so is the I-Pace, albeit it in a different and indeed superior all-electric way. Its torque flattens you into the enveloping sport seats slathered in red leather, yet it's responsive without feeling overly caffeinated or neck-snapping. Like other Jaguars, it also provides a little audible pomp to the driving experience. It's no barking F-Type R, but its Active Sound Design system pipes into the cabin a deep, purr-like noise when in Dynamic mode that, if not exactly akin to an actual exhaust system, is much closer to it than the usual high-pitched electric motor whine (you can hear it in the accompanying video). Jaguar recognizes that we expect noise and g-forces to go together. And that goes for g-forces in a straight line as well as around corners. The I-Pace resolutely sticks to even marginal pavement like – well, I've already used the roller coaster metaphor above, so what the hell? – it's on rails. It has the perfect recipe for astonishing grip: all-wheel drive; sticky summer tires on 20-inch wheels pushed to the corners; a heavy battery mounted low and in the middle of the chassis; a 50:50 front-to-rear weight balance; and an available adaptive air suspension that constantly adapts to the road. Oh, and it was engineered by Jaguar, a company widely renowned for its superior-handling cars and SUVs. Steering feel could perhaps be increased a smidge, but through the wheel and the seat of your pants, you do experience what the I-Pace is doing. That adaptive suspension also sops up bumps shockingly well (another Jaguar trait) despite those pretty 20-inch wheels adding some impact harshness (ditto).