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Driving Jaguar's Continuation Lightweight E-Type

Something has happened to sports cars over the past 15-20 years. While reaching ever-higher levels of quantitative dominance the driving experience continues to become more sterile. Stability control, torque vectoring, variable electronic steering racks, lightning-quick dual-clutch automatic transmissions – all these make it easier to harness more power and drive faster than ever before. And yet too often it feels like something is missing. There is a growing divide between the capabilities of the modern performance car and the driver's sense of connection to the experience. In an era like the one we're in now, the Jaguar Lightweight E-Type hits you like a slap in the face. The story of the Lightweight E-Type goes back to 1963, when Jaguar set aside eighteen chassis numbers for a run of "Special GT E-Type" cars. These were factory-built racers with aluminum bodies, powered by the aluminum-block, 3.8-liter inline-six found in Jaguar's C- and D-Type LeMans racecars of the 1950s. Of the eighteen cars slated for production, only twelve were built and delivered to customers in 1964. For the next fifty years, those last six chassis numbers lay dormant, until their rediscovery a couple of years ago in a book in Jaguar's archives. In an era like the one we're in now, the Jaguar Lightweight E-Type hits you like a slap in the face. Jaguar Heritage, a section of Jaguar Land Rover's new Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division, took on the task of researching the original Lightweight E-Types and developing the methods to create new ones. Every aspect of the continuation Lightweight E-Type, from the development of the tools and molds used to build the cars, to the hand-craftsmanship, reflects doing things the hard way. They may not build them like they used to, but with these six special E-Types, Jaguar comes awfuly close, if not better. Working alongside the design team, Jaguar Heritage made a CAD scan of one side of an original Lightweight E-Type body. That scan was flipped to create a full car's worth of measurements. That ensured greater symmetry and better fit than on the original Lightweight E-Types (which could see five to ten millimeter variance, left-to-right). The scan was also used to perfect the frame, while Jaguar looked through notes in its crash repair books to reverse-engineer the Lightweight E-Type's suspension. The team repurposed a lot of existing tooling for the continuation cars, and developed the rest from analysis of the CAD scan.

Jaguar recalls 1,500 XJ sedans over brake issues

A problem with the hydraulic brakes on the flagship XJ sedan has prompted Jaguar to issue a recall. The issue, as publicized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the notice you can read below, revolves around the brake line junctions underneath the affected vehicles, which may leak fluid, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the braking system. The problem only affects an estimated 1,571 units from the 2014 and 2015 model years, manufactured between February 6 and July 23, 2014. Owners of those affected units are being notified to bring their vehicles in to their local Jaguar dealers to have the brake line junctions inspected and tightened. This issue appears to be unrelated to Jaguar's recent recall of several model lines, the XJ included, over a problem with the power steering system. RECALL Subject : Incorrect Torque of Brake Pipe Unions Report Receipt Date: NOV 19, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V741000 Component(s): SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Potential Number of Units Affected: 1,571 Manufacturer: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC SUMMARY: Jaguar Land Rover North America (Jaguar) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Jaguar XJ vehicles manufactured February 6, 2014, to July 23, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the brake line junctions under the vehicle may leak brake fluid. CONSEQUENCE: A brake fluid leak may reduce the vehicle's braking ability, requiring additional distance to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Jaguar will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake line junctions, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on January 16, 2015. Owners may contact Jaguar customer service at 1-800-452-4827. Jaguar's number for this recall is J048. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

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.