Jaguar Xjr Supercharged Super Clean!! on 2040-cars

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2016 Jaguar XF First Drive [w/video]

Jaguar has never had a problem with style or driving joy. Every generation of the British brand's vehicles – with excuses made and accepted in advance for S-Type and X-Type and other outliers – has offered compelling styling and great performance. New kid XF was no exception when it was introduced in 2007. The car's sheetmetal pointed the way forward for the fully up-to-date range we see now, and its confident engines and handling chops were on pace with the best Bimmers, Benzes, and Cadillacs. The first-generation XF made some hay for Jaguar, selling around 280,000 copies through 2014. But those annualized rates still represented a blip on the luxury midsize radar when viewed against the backdrop of the German Three's numbers. Part of that sales story has been down to the E-Classes and 5 Series of the world being consistently excellent, to be sure. But a lot of the blame can be found in Jaguar's historic weak spots. Grace and pace the brand had in spades, but consumer perception of quality and reliability just weren't there, pricing was typically near the top of the class, and the residual values of the cars were low (a combination of all three factors, most likely). Of course, Jag would love to sell a few more cars. But this time, instead of simply building a great-looking, great-driving new XF (which is absolutely the case), the brand is doing some clever non-engineering-based things to put more big cats in more garages than ever before. The tradeoff of very good ride quality is worth the minute amount of roll. After flying all they way to Spain – Pamplona and the Navarra Circuit, by way of Barcelona and a Range Rover adventure you'll hear about soon – I would be remiss not to tell you how the new XF goes down the road. Some 150 kilometers (93 miles) of motorway and challenging b-roads lie between the city with that annual livestock problem and the 2.44-mile, FIA approved racecourse. A route that led me to understand that this XF, in my case the 380-horsepower XF S, has gained more than it has lost in the generational changeover. The company is fully committed to aluminum for its midsizer, with the new car now using a body structure that's 75-percent built from the stuff. I'm told that means a body in white that weighs just over 600 pounds, and an overall weight savings of 11 percent. Body stiffness has been raised by 28 percent in the process.

SVR plans to tune electrified Jaguar-Land Rover models, but not the I-Pace

Jaguar-Land Rover's SVR division has only put its name on high-horsepower gasoline-burning cars, like the XE Project 8 built in strictly limited numbers. It's open to the idea of tuning electrified models, whether they're electric or hybrid, but it confirmed it's not currently planning on making a spicier evolution of the I-Pace. "We will be developing electrified versions of our cars, be that fully electrified or plug-in hybrids," affirmed Michael van der Sande, the division's managing director, in an interview with Auto Express. But although the electric I-Pace (pictured) raced in a one-make race series held on the sidelines of Formula E events for two seasons, and SVR could credibly claim to inject track DNA into a street car, it stressed the I-Pace doesn't appear in its product plans for reasons that remain a little bit murky. Jaguar announced the end of the eTrophy series in May 2020, which might explain why it's reluctant to exploit racing's marketing power. "There are other various things we are working on which we can't talk about, but we're very interested in electrification. That's why we got involved in eTrophy," van der Sande clarified. "The technology transfer, the learning applies to that car and other cars but we're not planning an SVR I-Pace at the moment." His comments confirm we'll need to be patient to see what SVR's take on an electric or hybrid car looks like. One of the first electrified models to receive the go-fast treatment might be the next-generation XJ tentatively scheduled to make its debut before the end of 2020. It will be exclusively electric, though it won't look as radical as the I-Pace, so Jaguar will need to find a way to replace the hot-rodded XJR 575 model it positioned at the top of the last-generation model's line-up. It's not too far-fetched to speculate the next Range Rover also due out in the coming months will receive some degree of electrification, and it could spawn an SVR-tuned model, too. Related Video:    

Lister reveals first continuation Knobbly roadster at Autosport

It's been over a year since we reported on a plan to revive Lister Cars, and now the storied British racing constructor has revealed the first production continuation example of its legendary Knobbly roadster. Built to the same specifications as the original from 1958, using the same drawings and equipment, the reborn Knobbly features aluminum bodywork and a race-prepped 3.8-liter straight six out of a Jaguar D-Type and producing 330 horsepower. Revealed at the Autosport International race car show in Birmingham, the new Knobbly arrives on Lister's 60th anniversary and less than a month after the passing of its founder, Brian Lister. Only ten examples like this one will be built, all of which have already been spoken for, prompting Lister to consider an additional three examples. Each is eligible under FIA regulations to compete in vintage racing events, with performance specs quoting a 4.3-second 0-60 time and a top speed of 181 miles per hour. LISTER CARS' REBORN 'KNOBBLY' MAKES PUBLIC DEBUT AT AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL - Lister Cars' reborn 'Knobbly' racer has made its public debut at Autosport International - Built to the very same specification as the original 1958 'Knobbly' it uses the late Brian Lister's original drawings and manufacturing jigs - Lister has received an overwhelming response to its limited run of ten continuations and order books are full - Lister Cars is now considering creating three individual final editions each celebrating the racing pedigree of the 'Knobbly' in a unique and memorable way Lister Cars' reborn 'Knobbly' racer has made its public debut at Autosport International at the NEC Birmingham. Celebrating Lister's 60th anniversary, the reborn 'Knobbly' is built to the very same specification as the original 1958 'Knobbly', using the late Brian Lister's original drawings and manufacturing jigs. It is powered by a race-prepared Jaguar D-Type 3.8-litre straight-six, producing 330bhp. All 'Knobbly' models are built at Lister Cars' Cambridge factory to meet relevant FIA racing regulations, with owners able to compete in a series of Lister historic race meetings planned during 2015. Despite following an original design laid out more than 55 years ago, the reborn 'Knobbly' has performance to match modern sports cars; it can accelerate from 0-60mph in 4.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 181mph. Lister Cars has already received an overwhelming response to its limited run and the 10 cars are now sold out.