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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.

Jaguar F-Type meets America in first TV spots

With its new "Your Turn" global ad campaign, Jaguar has introduced its 2014 F-Type to the world of broadcast media. The effort takes aim at the monied 25-54 demographic, which makes sense of Jaguar recently shacking up with the 2013 Playboy Playmate of the Year Raquel Pomplun and San Francisco NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. You'll also be seeing the new roadster on ESPN's SportsCenter, late night ABC talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, the USA Network show Covert Affairs, the Sundance Channel and theaters, magazines and everywhere digital. On top of all that, a social media campaign includes a contest called #MyTurnToJag that will reward four winners with a custom drive in the new convertible.
You'll find the first two spots below, along with a press release on the roaring red marketing onslaught headed your way.

Jaguar F-Pace gets 300 Sport and Checkered Flag special editions

Jaguar has applied the 300 Sport treatment to the F-Pace, as it did with the XE and XF sedans last year, and there's a Checkered Flag treatment for the F-Pace, too. In other markets, the 300 Sport comes with the choice of the 2.0-liter Ingenium four-cylinder gas motor or the 3.0-liter V6 diesel, but we don't get the 3.0-liter diesel in the United States. Exterior tweaks start with dark satin gray trim on the grille and window surrounds, side vents, mirror caps, rear fascia and door finishers. The package wears 22-inch gray wheels and plenty of 300 Sport badges. Three colors are available: Yulong White, Indus Silver and Santorini Black. Inside, yellow contrast stitching on the instrument panel and seats marks the beast, plus embossed logos on the front headrests. The steering wheel, carpet, and sills also get 300 Sport badging. The full-fat Touch Pro navigation with Connect Pro comes standard. Overseas buyers can upgrade with a sliding panoramic roof, but all U.S. F-Pace models come with that. We don't have domestic pricing yet, but UK figures equate to saving almost 50 percent compared to speccing options separately on the gas model, and a savings of about 90 percent on the diesel version. The Checkered Flag Special Edition starts with the R-Sport and adds plenty of gloss black, including 20-inch gloss black wheels. Color choices here are Yulong White, Eiger Grey and Santorini Black. Only the 2.0-liter four-cylinder units get the nod, either the 247-horsepower gas engine or — in other markets — the 237-hp diesel we don't get. Our diesel is a 2.0-liter, 180-hp unit. Spec is a bit reduced compared to the 300 Sport, with 10-way electric front seats instead of 14-way, and the Touch Pro navigation without Connect Pro thrown in standard. A UK buyer would save about 40 percent compared to ordering a la carte.