2009 Jaguar Xf Luxury Sedan on 2040-cars

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Bloodhound SSC makes its speed-ready debut in London

Bloodhound SSC, the 1,000-mph land speed record contender, broke cover this week in Canary Wharf, London, in the heart of the Docklands financial district. "This is the best of British engineering meets the best of British banking," quipped Philip Dunne, MP, minister of state for defense procurement, which has provided backing for the team in terms of Army and Royal Air Force personnel and equipment. The team announced that Bloodhound will do its first test runs in Newquay, Cornwall, next spring before traveling to Hakskeen Pan in northwest South Africa in the fall. There, on October 15, 2016, it will make its first attempt on the land speed record, which currently stands at 763.035 miles per hour. That speed was set by Thrust SSC in the Black Rock desert on October 15, 1997 by Bloodhound's driver, Andy Green. Nineteen years later to the day, Green will be shooting for a speed over 800 mph. Over 8,000 people will come to Canary Wharf to see this extraordinary jet- and rocket-powered car over the next couple of days. This is the first-ever viewing of the machine in assembled form. The right-hand side is fully dressed in desert spec, complete with forged aluminum wheels and aerodynamics. The left-hand side is in 'naked' Newquay test spec, with panels removed for easy access and the whole thing riding on rubber tires that can run on tarmac. First impressions are of a big yet muscular car simply crammed with engines, jets, and rockets. The most recognizable thing, apart from the seven fire extinguishers, is the Jaguar AJ133 5.0-liter V8, lifted from an F-Type, which will run the fuel pumps that deliver over 211 gallons of high-test peroxide over the rocket motor's 20-second burn time. The EJ200 Typhoon military jet engine occupies the top floor and provides nine tons of thrust, and underneath is the single Nammo rocket motor providing an additional four tons. "When we go for 1,000 mph, we'll need another two rocket motors," says Mark Chapman, Bloodhound's chief engineer. "That total additional eight tons of thrust is what we'll need to get from 800 to 1,000 mph." He explains that the rear of the car will have to be redesigned to accommodate the two additional rocket motors, and the suspension might have to be adapted with longitudinal rear spring units like the fronts. There are still unknowns in the project, such as the area of vacuum that will follow the car several meters behind.

Lapping Le Mans with 1956's version of a dash cam

Mike Hawthorne and Ivor Bueb won The 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955 driving a Jaguar D-Type. The following year, a few days before the race, a British broadcaster put cameras on Hawthorne's car, hung a mic from a plate on his race suit and had him narrate a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe.
It is compelling viewing. A new pit complex was built after the massive accident on the front straight in 1955, but this was still a time when crews prepped for the race on roads that were open to the public. Hawthorne's lap includes maneuvers to avoid bicyclists and cars, and gems like letting us know that doing 185 miles per hour down the Mulsanne Straight was where you could "relax a little, recover your energy." Watch him work it like the men of old in the video below.

This is how we'd spec a Jaguar F-Pace

The configurator hitting the web is an exciting time in a new model's launch. Even if you don't have the cash to buy that sweet new ride, clicking through the options offers a chance to dream. Since we enjoy these stories so much, the Autoblog team is trying out something a little different for the new Jaguar F-Pace. Rather than describing all the stuff you can find on the page, some of our writers are going to show you how they'd spec out Jag's first crossover. Let us know how you like the new format in Comments, below. CHRIS BRUCE: I had an attractive, fairly affordable F-Pace Prestige ready, until the options list tempted me into an extra $5,000 in features. The final price of $56,255 doesn't seem too bad, though. While the diesel engine is probably quite nice, it's extremely hard not to pick the supercharged V6 with its intoxicating sound and 340 hp. Mine also includes the black trim package ($320), deleting the powertrain badge ($0), Adaptive Dynamics Pack ($1,000), Vision Pack ($2,000), and Head-up Display ($990). The British Racing Green paint ($550) and aluminum interior trim ($300) add a little more to the bottom line but are worth it for the extra style. GREG MIGLIORE: I shamelessly loaded mine up with options, let's just get that out of the way. But the F-Pace offers a lot of cool stuff, and the $400 activity security key is worth it for active lifestyles. I went with the silver paint and black 22s because I'd want my grocery-getter to have some attitude, and I think the pairing makes for a sinister yet tasteful appearance. Naturally, I'd want the 380-hp V6. It's a Jag. I want it to purr. SEYTH MIERSMA: If I'm throwing down on an F-Pace, I've already decided that I'm not going the thrifty route for my new crossover. Still, I don't see any particular advantage to the most-sporting version. The 340-hp gas-powered Jag will do just fine. Middle of the road then: F-Pace Prestige has the Xenons, heated seats, and steering wheel, and navigation that'd I'd add to a lesser model. And it looks hilariously disrespectful in this BRG paint with 20-inch black wheels. Jeremy Korzeniewski: The F-Pace is a Jaguar, and that means it can be both sporty and luxurious at the same time. But that doesn't mean it can't also be efficient. To that end, I chose to eschew the powerful gasoline engine options and instead spec my fictional F-Pace with a diesel.