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Porsche 911 Turbo and Nissan GT-R Nismo star in World's Greatest Drag Race 4

We love Motor Trend's annual World's Greatest Drag Race video. Now back for its fourth appearance, the idea of lining some of the world's fastest cars up for a ten-wide, straight-line, full-throttle run is, well... it's pretty freaking badass.
The lineup this year boasts some impressively fast cars to be sure. The group of ten includes the following darlings: Alfa Romeo 4C, BMW i8, BMW M4, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Ford Fiesta ST, Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, Nissan GT-R Nismo, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Subaru WRX STI and, last but not least, the Volkswagen GTI. Give us any one of those for the weekend, and we're happy to take the keys.
It must be said though, that for a publication that draws as much water as Motor Trend does, there are some big cars that we might expect to be here instead. The Lamborghini Huracán or Ferrari 458 Speciale would have added some exotic flare to the list, and the omissions of the Chevy Corvette Stingray (for the second year in a row) and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat are real head-scratchers.

542-HP Jaguar XJR to debut at New York Auto Show

Jaguar has just announced that a higher-than-ever performance version of its XJ flagship will be coming to this year's New York Auto Show next week. Joining the company's R lineup is this XJR, which will boast a stonking 542 horsepower from its supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine.
Though details about the new XJ are pretty slim - you can read Jag's teaser of a press release - we are told that the car will ride on a "bespoke chassis" and that some aerodynamics work has been done, as well. The one sultry image we have of the car shows a set of trim-specific wheels, lower sills and unique badging on the front grille.
The new XJR would seem to slot above the current top-dog XJ, the XJ Supersport. With a bump up of 32 hp versus the Supersport, performance should get a meaningful shot in the arm, as well. As for pricing, we'll have to wait for the NYC show to be sure. But other Jaguar models show an increase of between 15- and 20-percent between the R model and the next one down; that would indicate a price tag in the $130k range for a standard wheelbase XJR is in order.

Jaguar vs. Jetman: Place your bets

As many car-versus-jet races as we've seen on video, we never seem to tire of them. This latest one, however, doesn't so much pit a car against a jet airplane, per se, but a guy in a jetpack against a supercharged Jaguar. That in and of itself might make this clip worth a watch. The guy in question is one Yves Rossy, otherwise known as the Jetman. The Swiss air force aviator developed, wears, and pilots a six-and-a-half-foot-wide fixed wing fashioned from carbon fiber and fitted with four jet turbines strapped to its underside, each good for 88 pounds of thrust. He's flown it over the Alps, across the English Channel, and above the Grand Canyon, but now he faces off against another adversary. That, of course, would be the Jaguar XJR, complete with 5.0-liter supercharged V8 good for 550 horsepower. Piloting the performance sedan is none other than Martin Brundle, a former F1 driver, Le Mans winner, and television commentator. The two line up on and above a 1.75-mile stretch of road in the deserts of Dubai for the showdown. We could tell you who won, but you'll want to watch the video above for yourself to find out first-hand. And if you want to know more about the Jetman and his amazing flying creation, watch the video below. Related Video: F1 Star Martin Brundle and New Jaguar XJR Take on High-Flying 'Jetman' in World-First Desert Drag Race - Martin Brundle drives new 2016 model year Jaguar XJR in 1.75-mile live car race against 'Jetman' Yves Rossy in the Dubai desert - Head-to-head race demonstrates the benefits of lightweight construction on agility, performance and control in the air and on the road - Sandy conditions offer a clear demonstration of the benefits of the Jaguar XJ's new All-Surface Progress Control (ASPC) - New short film captures the action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xssOxHoEhrk - Brundle and Rossy discuss comparable technology within their two machines The Jetman Dubai pilot Yves Rossy, took on his first ever live race when he went head-to-head against a Jaguar XJR driven by former Formula One star Martin Brundle in a unique contest deep in the Dubai desert. Brundle, who drove in F1 alongside Michael Schumacher and is now a commentator, had the new all-aluminium 550PS, 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 Jaguar XJR at his disposal while Rossy was strapped to his 2m-wide fixed wing, powered by four Jet-Cat superchargers. The race took place on a closed private road and in the skies above it, and was captured in a three-minute short film.