2005 Jaguar S-type Sport Sedan 4-door 4.2l V8 Vanden Plas Edition on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Watch a Jaguar F-Type R drag a parachute at 186 mph

With carbon-ceramic brakes on offer, the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe can shed off speed even faster than it can rack it up. Even the standard steel rotors do a pretty good job of it. But what would happen if you deployed a parachute out the back of the Jag at 186 miles per hour, like you might with a drag racer? That's what the British automaker has found out in this latest video. And just why would they do such a thing, you ask? Because Bloodhound, that's why. Jaguar is providing technical support to the Bloodhound SSC land speed record attempt, and one of the roles into which the F-Type has been pressed is to check the parachute that will (along with the air brakes and rotors) form an integral part of the jet- and rocket-powered vehicle's run. To make sure the chute would do its job, the team put Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green behind the wheel of the specially equipped F-Type at the RAF air base in Bentwaters, Suffolk, UK, had him speed down the runway up to the car's top speed and deploy the chute. Fortunately, as you can see from the minute-long clip, everything seemed to have gone according to plan – though we're not sure about the logic behind the assertion that if "it worked at 180, it will definitely work at a thousand miles an hour." Related Video: Jaguar F-TYPE Performs Mission Critical Parachute Deployment Test for British World Land Speed Record Challenger Bloodhound SSC 12 June 2015 - World land speed record holder Andy Green drives an F-TYPE R Coupe at top speed of 186mph to test Bloodhound SSC's parachute deployment system - The test continues Jaguar's technical partnership in the world land speed record attempt, following a high-speed communications test run in South Africa in 2014 - Jaguar will be at the heart of Bloodhound SSC providing its 5.0-litre 550PS supercharged V8 engine to power the rocket's oxidiser pump Today, Jaguar and the world land speed record holder RAF Wing Commander Andy Green performed vital high-speed parachute tests as part of the company's on-going technical support for this unique engineering adventure: creating a car that can cover a mile in just 3.6 seconds. The jet and rocket powered car, which aims to surpass the current record of 763.035mph before targeting 1000mph, has multiple braking systems including air-brakes ('doors' mounted on the side of the car which open to increase aerodynamic drag) and disc brakes (used when slowing down from 200mph).

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.

2017 Jaguar XE: We'll miss our long-termer, but not its diesel engine

This may be automotive journalist blasphemy, but diesels aren't always a good thing. And I don't mean that from an emissions standpoint. Sometimes the diesel in question isn't a good engine, and/or is a bad fit for the cars to which they're fitted. Our long-term Jaguar XE diesel is a textbook case of both issues. The first issue becomes apparent from the moment the 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder fires up with all the clattering, tapping and ticking that can only come from a compression-ignition engine. It's far from the shaking and knocking of full-size diesel trucks of a few decades ago, but it definitely feels a generation or two behind other diesel cars. For instance, we had a diesel Chevy Cruze in the office, which was quieter and smoother than the Jaguar despite a base price roughly $10,000 less. It becomes a bit smoother and less raucous as revs increase, but the volume remains rather high, making it sound as though the engine is struggling more than it is. Though, to Jaguar's credit, the company has managed to keep virtually all engine vibrations from entering the cabin. Now, the diesel engine's voice would be less problematic if it provided some engaging performance, but, outside of the high fuel-economy numbers, there's hardly any to be found. This may seem surprising considering the Jaguar's 318 pound-feet of torque, but that torque figure lasts only briefly from 1,750 rpm to 2,500 rpm. After that, the torque rapidly falls off, and you don't see the Jag's meager 180 horsepower peak until 4,000 rpm -- not far off of the engine's roughly 5,000-rpm redline. As a result, the XE has adequate passing power and around-town shunt, but anytime you want to play with more revs, it faceplants. But at least it does nail, and even exceed, its 40-mpg highway fuel economy rating without trying. The faults of this diesel engine are then exacerbated by the fact that it's in such a smooth and fun car as the XE. It positively glides across rough city streets and highways, keeping the chassis steady and its passengers soothed. Coupled with a quiet cabin, the XE is a peaceful place to be. At least it would be if the diesel didn't rudely interrupt every time the throttle pedal is pressed. Through some sort of black magic, the XE handles about as well as it rides. The incredibly sensitive and accurate steering is superb. It feels like adjustment knobs on a high-end stereo -- weighted perfectly and fine enough to get it right where you want it.