2012 Jaguar Xj on 2040-cars

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The Jaguar XJR-15 is a 215 mph, barely-legal road car that's for sale

The late 1980s and early 1990s were awash with supercars from automakers across the globe. Classic Driver in the UK is selling one of the rarest of all of these supercars, the road-going racecar that is the Jaguar XJR-15. The XJR-15 is the lesser known sibling of the Jaguar XJ220. Only 27 were ever built. The XJ220 may not have received the same recognition and reverence as the Ferrari F40, the Porsche 959, and the McLaren F1, but for a time it held the record for the fastest road-going automobile, 217.1 mph. All of the XJ220's engineering and prowess is owed to the development of the XJR-15, which in turn owes everything to driver Tom Walkinshaw and his experience in touring and Le Mans racecars. Unlike the twin-turbocharged XJ220, the XJR-15 features a big, naturally-aspirated V12 that turned out 450 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque when new. The engine has a dry sump oil system, a Cosworth forged crankshaft, connecting rods, aluminum pistons, and fuel delivery from a Zytec electronically controlled sequential fuel injection system. The engine is mated to a five-speed transaxle from Tom Walkinshaw Racing, while the suspension - fabricated wishbones and horizontal pushrod-spring dampers at the front and coil springs at the rear - is pulled straight from the XJR-9 racecar. At the time, the car was capable of hitting 60 mph in under four seconds and topped out at 215 mph, just shy of the mark later set by the Jaguar XJ220. The XJR-15 was also the first road car to make extensive use of carbon fiber. In fact, at 2,315 lbs, the car's listed weight is less than that of a new ND Mazda Miata. The body was designed by future McLaren F1 engineer Peter Stevens. While the McLaren and Porsche were more complete and well rounded machines, the XJR-15 was a bare bones, uncompromised track machine. The interior was barely more than a carbon tub fitted with a pair of one-piece seats. The car in this listing is chassis number 21 and only has 1,400 miles on the odometer. Some minor modifications to the hinges allow the hood and engine cover to be quickly and easily opened. The car is listed for GBP450,000, or about $560,000. Not cheap, but what rare, early 1990s supercar is? Related Video: News Source: Classic Driver via Car Buzz Jaguar Coupe Performance ferrari f40 jaguar xj220

Jaguar F-Type pitted against Porsche 911 Cabriolet by Tiff Needell

You knew it wouldn't take long and it looks like EVO is first onto YouTube with a battle between the 2014 Jaguar F-Type and the 2013 Porsche 911. Tiff Needell spends a few laps warming up the tires (read: drifting like mad) in each droptop before getting in a timed run to see who's champion and who's second best.
Before the bell rings, its the Porsche that's got everything to lose, the 50-year-old era-defining sportscar getting on with a 3.4-liter flat-six, 350 horsepower, a seven-speed manual and a 3,197-pound curb weight. Other sportscars, like the F-Type, continue to eye the 911 like a flag atop Everest that they plan to first touch, and then rip from its socket. The mid-trim Jaguar rolls into the contest with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 380 hp, an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters and a curb weight of 3,521 pounds.
The video below shows you what happens when you let all those numbers fight it out on the same stretch of curvy track. Check it out.

Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

The wheel ranks right up there with the telescope and four-slice toaster in the pantheon of inventions that have moved humankind forward. But what if a circle in three dimensions had never occurred to anyone, and we all had just moved on without it? Perhaps we'd be driving around in Lucas Motors Landspeeders with anti-gravity engines. Or maybe we'd have the same cars we do today, just without wheels.
That's the thought experiment that seems to have led French photographer Renaud Marion to create his six-image series called Air Drive. The shots depict cars throughout many eras of motoring that look normal except for one thing: they have no wheels. The models used include a Jaguar XK120, Cadillac DeVille (shown above), Chevrolet El Camino and Camaro, and Mercedes-Benz SL and 300 roadsters.
Perhaps one day when our future becomes our past, you'll be able to walk the street and see with your own eyes the rust and patina of age on our nation's fleet of floating cars. Until then, Monsieur Marion's photographs will have to do.