1979 Jaguar Xjs - Very Low Mileage on 2040-cars

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Lunaz electrifying classic cars with coachbuilt, millimeter precision

One day last year, as David Lorenz waited by the side of the road for repair help with his classic car, he had an idea: Why not update all of that ancient mechanical "character" with a modern electric drivetrain? That would give an owner the beauty of the past, the mechanicals of the present, and the powertrain of the future. Jaguar does it with the E-Type Zero, and Aston Martin's in the game with the reversible EV powertrain swap for the DB6 Volante. And so Lorenz founded the British engineering firm Lunaz Design, named after his daughter Luna and headquartered at the Silverstone Technology Park. The company's first products are almost ready for order, starting with a 1953 Jaguar XK120 and a 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Lunaz conversions aren't a matter of pulling an engine and installing a battery pack; Lunaz reengineers classics. Managing Director Jon Hilton oversees a team bringing experience from carmakers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar, McLaren, and Rolls-Royce, with Hilton's resume including six years with Cosworth Engineering followed by eight years in Formula One. To develop the Lunaz offerings, a chosen car is stripped to the metal and weighed so that engineers understand the weight distribution at each corner, then the car is stripped to the chassis and 3D-scanned. This yields information allowing designers to create a powertrain that fits to the millimeter and stays true to the handling dynamics of the original vehicle. During the rebuild, the company says, any imperfections are remedied "using traditional coachbuilding techniques." The Jaguar and the Rolls-Royce get battery packs in two locations, one under the hood and one under the trunk floor. Lunaz says it can fit more battery for its in-house design into each car that way. The Jaguar's 80-kWh battery feeds two electric motors sending 375 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. The Phantom V uses a 120-kWh battery pack, but its output hasn't been released. While remaining true to the exterior and interior design of each car, Lunaz fits LED lights and modern tires, a modern suspension, better brakes with regenerative braking, power steering, an upgraded propshaft, and a fly-by-wire throttle. Safety and comfort additions include cruise control, traction control, and anti-lock brakes. Inside, the instrument cluster gets battery gauges, there's modern climate control, an infotainment screen with satellite navigation, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Xcar drives Jaguar C-X75, other Spectre villains of 007

James Bond returns to US theaters very soon in Spectre, and with the action-packed film wrapped, the producers are lending out the keys to some of the movie's automotive stars. We've already seen Jay Leno behind the wheel of Bond's Aston Martin DB10. Now, Xcar's Alex Goy has taken a turn in some of the flick's villainous rides from Jaguar Land Rover, including a very special Jaguar C-X75. The crew from JLR's Special Vehicle Operations team certainly did an impressive job of giving the movies baddies some appropriately nefarious rides. To challenge Bond, they turned the Land Rover Defender into a beast with chunky, off-road tires and blinding-spot lights. They also made the Range Rover Sport SVR even more diabolical than normal with a blacked-out look and LED lightbar. Of course, the king of Spectre's villain cars is the C-X75. According to Goy, most of the ones in the movie use the company's 5.0-liter, supercharged V8, but two are actually original prototypes with the hybrid setup. He gets to drive one of those special examples in this clip. While limited to some low-speed cruising, the coupe still looks wonderfully menacing on the road. Related Video:

2020 Jaguar F-Type loses manual option, costs more money

When Jaguar showed off its 2020 F-Type Checkered Flag Edition in October 2018, we wrote, "Somewhat surprisingly, the Checkered Flag upgrades will only be applied to four- and six-cylinder models paired with the eight-speed automatic." At the time, we didn't understand why buyers weren't offered the manual transmission. Now we know: Along with applying slight price bumps to the F-Type for the 2020 model year, Jaguar has eliminated the manual gearbox. The F-Type is only available with an eight-speed auto now, and our list of cars with manual options has shortened again. That blow exposes the recurring flaw with every "Save the Manuals!" campaign; row-your-owners can't buy enough manual-equipped cars to repay the favor. Car and Driver said that since the F-Type's introduction for the 2013 model year, four percent of buyers have chosen the stick. On a sports car. There's a good chance that a greater number of people have bought unicorn hunting licenses from Lake Superior State University. In kinder news, the Front Parking Aid and Smartphone Pack, which enables Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, come standard, and Eiger Gray and Portofino Blue join the paint palette. Starting from the bottom, the base, rear-wheel-drive F-Type coupe with the 296-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder costs $62,625 after the $1,025 for destination fee. The convertible costs $65,725 after destination. Both prices represent an $850 increase over 2019. A RWD coupe with the 340-hp, 3.0-liter supercharged V6 costs $72,225, a $1,050 increase, the roadster asking $75,225, a $925 bump. The F-Type Checkered Flag Edition, based on the F-Type R-Dynamic trim, runs $72,925 for the coupe, $75,325 for the convertible in 300-hp, four-cylinder, RWD guise. Move to the 380-hp, supercharged six-cylinder, AWD model, and that'll be $95,525 for the coupe, $97,925 for the convertible. In between them, the regular F-Type R-Dynamic runs a price range from $85,325 as a RWD coupe to $91,425 as an AWD convertible, all prices rising by $950. From there on up it's all AWD and high horsepower. The F-Type R with the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 in 550-hp trim runs $102,825 as a hardtop, $105,925 as a droptop, a $1,050 premium over 2019. Ring the bell with that V8 in 575-hp SVR fettle, and pay $124,625 as a coupe, $127,725 as a convertible, reflecting an $850 increase. The 2020 F-Type is at dealers now.