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Here's what a front-row seat looked like in 2014 Mille Miglia

From 1927 to 1957, the Mille Miglia was one of the great, romantic European road races of the golden era of motorsports. The cars were fast, beautiful and loud but also extremely dangerous and regularly claimed drivers' lives. After two fatal accidents in '57, the event finally had to reform and came back in 1977 as a historic rally held over the course of several days. That didn't make things boring, though, and Xcar found that out firsthand with a front-row seat to this year's race in a 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe.
Xcar was actually following the Jaguar team this year that included Ian Callum and Jay Leno in an XK120, which we previously got a glimpse of when it was covered on Jay Leno's Garage. Where Leno focuses on a more personal story of competing, this one takes a more macro view. You really get an idea of how crazy the Mille Miglia still is, and while the F-Type is way too new to actually compete in the rally, it can still wear an event sticker and drive with the vintage racers.
One amazing fact about today's Mille Miglia is that if you're competing in the event, there are basically no rules. The roads are technically still open to traffic, but the police shut down intersections and provide a rolling roadblock. Xcar's F-Type alternated between following on the course with the classics and snipping off chunks of the route to watch the participants arrive at each stop. Check out the video to experience fantastic historic rally.

Hey wait, not everyone hates the diesel engine in our 2017 Jaguar XE

My friend Joel doesn't seem to care for the turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine in our long-term 2017 Jaguar XE 20d. That's fine. He's entitled to his opinion. But he does not speak for the entire Autoblog staff. I, for one, am a big fan of this oil burner. I said so months ago after I returned from a 2,000-mile road trip. The intervening months have done nothing to sway my opinion. It's smooth, efficient, and all the engine you need in a non-performance application. It may not have the raw power or full range torque of the XE's gasoline engines, but it's a fine fit in this car. Not everyone who buys a sports sedan like the XE or BMW 3 Series does so because they want a sharp canyon carver. Some just want a handsome car that will get them from point A to B in relative comfort. The Jaguar XE diesel does just that, and it does so while achieving some pretty astounding fuel economy numbers. We met the 30 mpg city rating and eclipsed the 40 mpg highway rating with ease. It's not like the XE diesel is slow. Sure, a 0-60 mph time of 7.5 seconds isn't blistering, but it's far from what anyone should consider slow or lethargic. That time is right on par with the BMW 328d. Sure, it runs out of breath at peak revs, but so does every other diesel. If you care about wringing it out, buy a gas version. By Joel's own admission, the engine's 180 horsepower and 318 pound-feet of torque are available when needed for highway passing or city driving. That's all most people really need. So what if it falls on its face at high revs. I will concede that this isn't the most refined diesel on the market. At idle, it shimmies like an unbalanced washing machine. Jaguar has tuned a lot of that out, but it isn't nearly as calm as the competition (though it's miles better than diesels of old). It revs quickly for a diesel, but the exhaust note is one to forget. The engine sounds like a muffled foghorn mixed with a jar of nails. Not good. Once you get moving, it settles down. Highway cruising is a breeze. You forget you have a compression ignition engine under the hood. Even around town, turn the radio on and you'll be fine. Joel is right about the ride and handling totally outclassing the diesel engine. The car is comfortable on highways and city streets but sharpens up on a curvy backroad. The steering and suspension communicate to the driver what the car is doing at all times. The brakes inspire confidence with a firm pedal and sharp bite.

UK car output falls 14% in March, may get worse with no-deal Brexit

LONDON — British car output fell for the 10th month in a row in March, hit by a slowdown in key foreign markets, and the sector stands to suffer a lot more if the country leaves the European Union without a deal, an industry body said on Tuesday. Output tumbled by an annual 14.4 percent to 126,195 cars in March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Exports, which account for nearly four out of every five cars made in Britain, were down by 13.4 percent. The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming London can secure a transition deal with the EU. If Britain has to rely instead on World Trade Organization rules for its trade with the bloc, which include import tariffs, output is forecast to fall by around 30 percent to 1.07 million units in 2021, returning to mid-1980s levels, the SMMT said. The forecasts were produced for SMMT by AutoAnalysis, a consultancy. Prime Minister Theresa May has secured a delay to the Brexit deadline until Oct. 31, giving her more time to try to break an impasse in parliament over the terms of Britain's departure from the EU. Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt traveled to Japan earlier this month to try to persuade the Japanese government and Toyota, which has a big presence in Britain, that London was determined to avoid a no-deal Brexit. "Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce 2 million cars by 2020 — a target now impossible with Britain's reputation as stable and attractive business environment undermined," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said. "All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry." (Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by David Milliken)