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2023 Jaguar F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 begins the brand's reset

At the end of last month, Jaguar hit the 'Delete' button on nearly ten years of Instagram posts, replacing them with three images of the Jaguar XJR-9 endurance racer that won the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans. We made two conjectures as to what it could mean, the first being, "a limited-edition version of an existing car inspired by the XJR-9 could be around the corner." And here we have none other than a limited-edition version of an existing Jaguar, called the F-Pace SVR Edition 1988. Created by the SV Bespoke division with help from Special Vehicle Operations and the design team, this is the Jaguar's first limited edition F-Pace; the brand will make just 394 of them for global consumption, celebrating the number of laps the XJR-9 completed during its win at La Sarthe. The changes are cosmetic, sadly, which means no 7.0-liter V12 up front. The standard supercharged 5.0-liter serves here, making the standard 550 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. It looks more sinister than ever, though, hidden behind Midnight Amethyst paint and a set of 22-inch Champagne Gold forged alloy wheels. If that weren't enough to announce itself, there are also Sunset Gold Satin accents that contrast with the standard Black Package, such as the Edition 1988 badging on the fenders, leaper badge in back and tailgate script. A silver "SV Bespoke commissioning graphic" informs that each model is "One of 394." Inside, occupants find more Sunset Gold on the steering wheel, shift paddles, instrument panel and ventilated Performance Seats. They're offset by semi-aniline leather everywhere, and carbon fiber trim finishers. Jaguar mentions as well that it's incorporated what3words navigation into the Pivi Pro infotainment system. A combination of three terms identifies three-square-meter blocks (32.3 square feet) around the world, the phrase "echo.twin.papers" providing directions to the Empire State Building, for instance. The F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 starts at $111,150 after the $1,150 destination charge, a $23,400 surcharge over the base F-Pace SVR.  Now we wait to find out about our second surmise for the brand — a return to old-school competition with an endurance racing program. It's unlikely for tens of millions of reasons, but we'd love to see the cat back at that French country house with Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini and Porsche. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Hot Rod Garage series premieres with 700-hp big-block Jaguar XJ

Roadkill hosts Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger have broken up - kinda - to spin off a new show, Hot Rod Garage, that mostly gives up the driveway and parking lot wrench work for the confines of a garage. We say kinda because while Finnegan is the primary host for Hot Rod Garage, Freiburger plays guest host and the new show starts off by wrenching on the Roadkill Draguar project car.
What's the Draguar? It's a 1974 Jaguar XJ12 that's about to be force-fed a 383-cubic-inch Chevrolet long-block engine with tidbits like Holley carbs, a Weiand 6-71 roots blower and a "custom WillBlow transmission," all good for about 700 horsepower. After that Finnegan gets into swapping parts on his wife's El Camino and some TIG welding lessons.
You can check out the first episode below. And in case you're worried, no, Roadkill isn't going away.

Ex-Jaguar design boss Ian Callum starts his own design firm

A month ago, Ian Callum stepped down from his position as Jaguar's director of design. In a 20-year career with the English sports car maker, Callum's pen has traced the lines of everything from the original XK, the XJ, the F-Type, I-Pace, and more. Before that, he made use of employ at Aston Martin by contributing to the original DB7, the DB9, the previous Vantage, and the first Vanquish. After a career in service to OEMs that's been brilliant enough to earn him a CBE, for Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Callum has stepped up to take the reins at his eponymous design firm, called "Callum." Established with four fellow ex-Jaguar executives, Callum will design and engineer bespoke and limited-edition creations in the worlds of art, audio, automotive, fashion, lifestyle, and motorsports. The other trio of founding members are program director David Fairborn, engineering director Adam Donfrancesco, and commercial director Tom Bird. Fairbarn was the head of bespoke and special commissions at Jaguar Land Rover, where he helped bring the Lightweight E-Type to life. Donfrancesco left his role as engineering manager for JLR 's bespoke and special commissions; before that, he developed road and race cars like the Aston Martin GT8 and GT12. Bird, after stints at PWC and Barclays, had been commercial manager at JLR, where he shepherded the C-X75 concept into the James Bond movie Spectre. Callum said of the venture, "I wanted to get back to the essence of creativity; the challenge of producing something wonderful and personal. To design the alternative has always been my mantra, but always the beautiful alternative and something to enjoy." The man's still contracted to Jaguar as a brand ambassador, but at 64 years old, he feels "I've got maybe 15 years of design aptitude left, and I want to make the most of it." With 18 employees and based in a 20,000-square-foot facility in Warwick, the firm is ready right now with the engineering and manufacturing machinery to create products in-house. Even with the company's wide remit, we expect to see Callum take a stand in the automotive space. He admitted that he'd "like to take some of the cars I've designed and maybe redo them a little bit," but the team will always consider the entire vehicle, looking to upgrade dynamics and handling, too. We're told the first project will be announced soon.