1992 Jaguar Xjs V12 Coupe Sky Blue W/magnolia Cream Interior on 2040-cars

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UK electric motor maker YASA expands production 50-fold for EVs

LONDON — British electric motor manufacturer YASA said on Thursday it was increasing its production capacity from 2,000 to 100,000 units with a new factory to tap into growing demand from carmakers for greener technologies. Automakers are racing to build greener vehicles and improve charge times in a bid to meet rising customer demand and air quality targets but Britain lacks sufficient manufacturing capacity, an area the government is building up. Last year, the government picked a site in central England to house a new automotive battery development facility, which will develop the processes required to manufacture the latest battery advancements. On Thursday, YASA, based near the English city of Oxford, said it had raised another 15 million pounds ($21 million) as part of its expansion. "Our customers are looking to adopt innovative new technologies such as YASA's axial-flux electric motors and controllers in order to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding hybrid and pure electric automotive market," said Chief Executive Chris Harris. The firm exports 80 percent of production and has worked with companies including Britain's two biggest carmakers Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan as well as Aston Martin. JLR will decide this year whether to build electric cars in its home market, previously citing factors such as pilot testing and support from science and government as pre-requisites. Reporting by Costas PitasRelated Video:

Junkyard Gem: 2000 Jaguar S-Type

My junkyard studies of Jaguars have focused mostly on the four-wheeled felines of the 1960s through 1980s, but plenty of more recent Jags may be found in U-Pull-type yards around the continent. Today's Junkyard Gem appeared in a Northern California boneyard last summer, and it had stories to tell. Once Ford took over Jaguar in 1990, the idea of a midsize Jaguar saloon to steal sales from the BMW E39 5 Series and Lexus GS seemed like an increasingly good idea, and so a name used on a mid-1960s version of the Jaguar Mark 2 was revived for use on a car built on the same platform as the Lincoln LS. Both the new S-Type and LS appeared during the 1999 model year, and both are fairly easy to find in your local Ewe Pullet today. American S-Type buyers could choose between a 3.0-liter V6 and various flavors of V8 (including a hairy supercharged V8 good for 400 horses in the S-Type R). This car has the V6, which was based on the Duratec out of the Taurus and made 281 horsepower. In theory, American S-Type (and Lincoln LS) buyers could get a five-speed manual transmission on V6-equipped 1999-2003 cars … but I've never seen a three-pedal S-Type/LS, and I've been looking hard. As you'd expect, European S-Type buyers could get both manual transmissions and diesel engines for the duration of the car's 1999-2007 production run. This car has a ZF six-speed slushbox. The interior looks to have been in good condition when the car showed up here, and the original manuals were still in the car. Some of the wood trim got a bit cracked in the California sun during the car's two decades on the road. That sure looks a lot like a Kia Amanti nose, doesn't it? The Amanti appeared a few years later and showed strong S-Type (and E-Class) styling influence. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Beyond beautiful. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. History repeating.

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.