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The story behind Bridgestone's new tires for the rare and beautiful Jaguar XJ220

The Jaguar XJ220 is a beautiful, fast, and arguably under appreciated supercar from the early 1990s. While contemporaries like the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 garner more than $1 million at auctions, the XJ220 might pull in half that. Maintaining an older car requires work, a task made more difficult when parts aren't available. Last year, Bridgestone announced it was producing new tires specifically for XJ220s. The Japanese tire supplier has released a 42-minute video documenting the process. There were only 275 XJ220s ever built, fewer than both the F40 and 959. Until recently, no supplier made four same-spec tires that would fit the XJ220. Early Dodge Viper owners suffer from the same problem. Thanks to both Bridgestone and Pirelli, owners now have two options to choose from. Bridgestone worked with Don Law Racing, the go-to shop for all things XJ220, when developing the right tire for the car. It isn't simply a reproduction of an older-spec tire. Bridgestone tested a number of new compounds. With so few cars available, from the beginning this was going to be a money-losing prospect for the tire maker. Enthusiasts within the organization fought hard to get everything approved. Watch the full video to hear how much time and effort went into the project. Related Video: News Source: Bridgestone via Motor1Image Credit: Getty Jaguar Videos tires jaguar xj220

Lunaz electrifying classic cars with coachbuilt, millimeter precision

One day last year, as David Lorenz waited by the side of the road for repair help with his classic car, he had an idea: Why not update all of that ancient mechanical "character" with a modern electric drivetrain? That would give an owner the beauty of the past, the mechanicals of the present, and the powertrain of the future. Jaguar does it with the E-Type Zero, and Aston Martin's in the game with the reversible EV powertrain swap for the DB6 Volante. And so Lorenz founded the British engineering firm Lunaz Design, named after his daughter Luna and headquartered at the Silverstone Technology Park. The company's first products are almost ready for order, starting with a 1953 Jaguar XK120 and a 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Lunaz conversions aren't a matter of pulling an engine and installing a battery pack; Lunaz reengineers classics. Managing Director Jon Hilton oversees a team bringing experience from carmakers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar, McLaren, and Rolls-Royce, with Hilton's resume including six years with Cosworth Engineering followed by eight years in Formula One. To develop the Lunaz offerings, a chosen car is stripped to the metal and weighed so that engineers understand the weight distribution at each corner, then the car is stripped to the chassis and 3D-scanned. This yields information allowing designers to create a powertrain that fits to the millimeter and stays true to the handling dynamics of the original vehicle. During the rebuild, the company says, any imperfections are remedied "using traditional coachbuilding techniques." The Jaguar and the Rolls-Royce get battery packs in two locations, one under the hood and one under the trunk floor. Lunaz says it can fit more battery for its in-house design into each car that way. The Jaguar's 80-kWh battery feeds two electric motors sending 375 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. The Phantom V uses a 120-kWh battery pack, but its output hasn't been released. While remaining true to the exterior and interior design of each car, Lunaz fits LED lights and modern tires, a modern suspension, better brakes with regenerative braking, power steering, an upgraded propshaft, and a fly-by-wire throttle. Safety and comfort additions include cruise control, traction control, and anti-lock brakes. Inside, the instrument cluster gets battery gauges, there's modern climate control, an infotainment screen with satellite navigation, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

This Jaguar D-Type is what you should spend your multimillion-dollar holiday bonus on

The end of the year is fast approaching, your holiday shopping is done, and the mutual fund you help manage is paying out some serious bonuses. What do you do with all that sweet cash? Well, if it's over seven figures, we suggest hanging on to it until January when it could help you buy this amazing 1954 Jaguar D-Type race car. The D-Type, for those of you unfamiliar, is Jaguar's famous race car that gave birth to the road-going XKSS, one of which was owned by Steve McQueen. The D-Type was known for its successes on the track, and frequent appearances at Le Mans, with a victory at the endurance race in 1956. This particular car also raced there in 1954 with the Jaguar factory team, and behind the wheel was Sir Stirling Moss. According to RM Sotheby's, it led the race for a major chunk, but eventually retired due to brake issues. The car was campaigned at other events through the year, and it also saw time at the hands of a privateer team that bought the car in 1955. Many decades later, the car is being offered for public sale for the first time in its life at the RM Sotheby's auction in Arizona, Jan. 18-19. According to the auction company, the car features the original body, chassis, drivetrain and suspension. Between the history and the originality, the company is expecting the car to bring between $12 million and $15 million, hence the reason this is probably just for those with seriously massive holiday bonuses. But if you have the means, you could do way worse than spending it on this Jaguar. Related Video: Featured Gallery 1954 Jaguar D-Type View 33 Photos Image Credit: Patrick Ernzen Courtesy of RM Sotheby's Jaguar Auctions Convertible Racing Vehicles Classics jaguar d-type jaguar xkss