2012 Jaguar Xk Xkr Coupe Automatic 2-door Coupe on 2040-cars

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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.

Autoblog Podcast #339

Farewell, Zach Bowman; Pikes Peak 2013; Datsun; 2014 Ram lineup
Episode #339 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and it's the last rodeo for Zach Bowman before he departs for other pastures. The crew this week consists of Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Jeff Ross, who talk about the astounding records set at this year's Pike's Peak hill climb, the return of the Datsun brand name and the recently-announced 2014 Ram truck lineup. Of course, we start with the garage and end with your questions and comments. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #339:

Watch new Jaguar XF perform a literal high-wire act

Coming out with a new luxury sedan can be a truly daunting prospect. Make it too edgy and you'll risk disenfranchising what can often be a rather conservative customer base. Make it too conservative and you may fail to attract enough new customers or generate enough interest to make the endeavor worthwhile. Whether Jaguar succeeded in walking that thin line with the new XF is a matter of personal taste, blending as it does elements from the smaller XE and the outgoing XF it replaces. But in launching the new model, Jaguar didn't just pull of a figurative high-wire act – it did quite a literal one. To drum up support for its newest debut, Jaguar undertook the stunt depicted in the video above, stringing a pair of carbon-fiber cables some 60 feet above the River Thames in London. With some guide wires and counterbalance weights to keep it all in check, and a motion-picture stunt crew orchestrating it all, the new XF drove over 780 feet from one bank of the river to the other, setting a new world record in the process. Instead of thinking too hard about the whys (seriously, though... why?) and hows, we suggest you just watch the video above. Related Video: