1987 Jaguar Xjs Base Coupe 2-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

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Seven-figure cars highlight day one of RM's Monterey auction

RM Auctions is one of several houses holding auctions during the Monterey weekend, and Friday night's festivities got quite pricey. Seven-figure vehicles were not at all uncommon during the first day of the two-day event, with the 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider, seen above, crossing the block for $9,075,000.
Other big earners included a pair of rare Ferraris, a 1950 166 MM Barchetta and a 1955 750 Monza Spider, which took $3,080,000 and $4,070,000, respectively. Outside of the red Italians, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special captured $7,480,000 while a stunning, color-appropriate 1955 Jaguar D-Type took $3,850,000. We've got images of these vehicles, and a few other stunning examples of last night's auction, in the gallery above.
Thought it seems impossible, tonight's auction is expected to see even more high-dollar action. The winner of the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours, a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster is expected to command over $10 million. Also crossing the block will be a car we reported on a few weeks back - a supremely rare 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder. One of only 10 in the world, it's expected to take anywhere from $14 to $17 million when it hits the stage tonight.

1964 Jaguar XKE slinks into Jay Leno's Garage

The idea of altering a classic Jaguar E-Type might seem preposterous to some, but Jasen Len of XKs Unlimited managed to create a modified 1964 E-Type that stays true to the Jag's timeless design. Just a few months after Jay Leno featured his own original E-Type on Jay Leno's Garage, Len stopped by to show off his custom Jaguar creation.
Starting out with a rust-ravaged body, Len made the car just the way he wanted it to be. He started off with some minor changes to the car's exterior like the Le Mans-inspired racing lights and handmade front bumpers, handmade sills with integrated exhaust and flared rear fenders. Inside, he dropped the floor to make more interior space and reworked the E-Type's styling for more of a modern look. We have to say, if you're going to mess with a Series 1 E-Type, this is the way to do it.
Sadly, even though Len and Leno spend plenty of time talking about the car's 300-horsepower 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder, we never get to hear the car fire up. Check out the JLG video, which is posted below, and as a bonus, enjoy the gallery from Jaguar showing a 1961 E-Type.

Hot Rod Garage series premieres with 700-hp big-block Jaguar XJ

Roadkill hosts Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger have broken up - kinda - to spin off a new show, Hot Rod Garage, that mostly gives up the driveway and parking lot wrench work for the confines of a garage. We say kinda because while Finnegan is the primary host for Hot Rod Garage, Freiburger plays guest host and the new show starts off by wrenching on the Roadkill Draguar project car.
What's the Draguar? It's a 1974 Jaguar XJ12 that's about to be force-fed a 383-cubic-inch Chevrolet long-block engine with tidbits like Holley carbs, a Weiand 6-71 roots blower and a "custom WillBlow transmission," all good for about 700 horsepower. After that Finnegan gets into swapping parts on his wife's El Camino and some TIG welding lessons.
You can check out the first episode below. And in case you're worried, no, Roadkill isn't going away.