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David Brown Speedback GT marks US debut at The Quail

The British invasion has officially deployed another expeditionary force to these American shores with the arrival of the David Brown Speedback GT. The classically styled English grand tourer debuted nearly a year and a half ago, and has been racking up orders from discerning customers in the UK and across continental Europe. As promised, it has now made its American debut at the swanky Monterey event known as The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. The Speedback GT is a coachbuilt grand touring coupe made by British startup David Brown Automotive. It's based on a Jaguar XKR, but reskinned inside and out to give it the look and feel of a classic Aston Martin – little wonder given the name it shares with the former Aston chief whose initials still adorn the DB model line. Underneath the retro bodywork lies Jaguar's celebrated 5.0-titer supercharged V8, giving the Speedback thoroughly modern levels of muscle with 510 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque. The resulting 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds and top speed of 155 miles per hour are suitably quick – not quite time-warping, but the performance is certainly nowhere near as old-school as the design would lead you to believe. Call it the best of both worlds, then, if you dig the styling. But don't expect everyone to be jumping on this particular gentlemanly bandwagon. At nearly half a million pounds sterling – over $750k at current exchange rates – it's sure to keep out the riffraff of which "the rest of us" are most certainly part. Featured Gallery David Brown Speedback GT: Monterey 2015 View 14 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Misc. Auto Shows Jaguar Coupe Luxury Pebble Beach david brown automotive

Jaguar testing hardcore F-Type R-S GT?

Some automakers make a hardcore model, then sit back and revel in its awesomeness. Jaguar does things a little differently. It takes a standard production model, gives it more power, bigger brakes and a tighter suspension and slaps the letter R on it. Then it gives it even more power, even bigger brakes and an even tighter suspension and calls it an R-S. Sometimes the engineers in Coventry don't even think that's enough, so they strip out some weight and dial things up even further and call it an R-S GT.
So far, they've only gone that far with the XK (transformed first into the XKR, then the XKR-S, and finally the XKR-S GT), but with that model on its way out, Jaguar seems to be preparing to give the newer F-Type a similar treatment. Now we can't be sure that what we're looking at is an F-Type R-S GT, especially since the 550-horsepower engine from the XKR-S and XFR-S is already powering the existing F-Type R Coupe, but it does seem to have all the makings of a hardcore performance model.
Compared to the existing F-Type, the development model pictured here has a bigger front splitter (like the one on the Project 7 concept), a big rear wing and a set of what looks like pretty big lightweight alloys. It's also, tellingly, a roadster, which (unlike the coupe) has until now topped out at 500hp with the V8 S model. So while it may be hard to say exactly just what Jaguar has in store for us here (or what they'll call it), one thing's for sure: it's gonna be fast and loud.

Jaguar F-Type to pace Bloodhound SSC as rapid response vehicle

The Bloodhound SSC is out to beat the world land speed record, but it can't do it all on its own. The team is going to need a motorcade of support vehicles, like this specially equipped Jaguar F-Type. Outfitted by JLR Special Vehicle Operations with radio equipment and a unique livery, the Bloodhound SSC rapid response vehicle is based on the latest F-Type R AWD coupe. It'll serve a similar role that a pace or safety car does for a race, and be called into service in case of a high-speed emergency. The Bloodhound SSC itself will likewise be equipped with the same 5.0-liter supercharged V8, its 542 horses powering the jet-car's hydraulic system and oxidizer pump. The special F-Type will mark its debut at the Coventry MotoFest later this month (appearing again at Goodwood next month) alongside a '56 Long-Nose D-Type, the one-of-a-kind '66 XJ13, a '76 Broadspeed XJ12 Coupe, and the XJR-9 that won Le Mans in 1988. JAGUAR TO DEBUT BLOODHOUND F-TYPE RAPID RESPONSE VEHICLE AT COVENTRY MOTOFEST - World debut of Jaguar F-TYPE R AWD Bloodhound SSC Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) at Coventry MotoFest (30/31 May) - Jaguar's 5.0-litre supercharged V8 550 PS sports car will support Bloodhound SSC World Land Speed Record attempt - Jaguar will be at the heart of Bloodhound SSC providing its 5.0-litre 550PS supercharged V8 engine to provide hydraulic services to the car and drive the rocket's oxidiser pump - Jaguar also previewing Goodwood Festival of Speed activity at MotoFest with a host of iconic heritage cars (Whitley, Coventry – 20 May 2015). Jaguar will unveil the F-TYPE R AWD Bloodhound SSC RRV at Coventry MotoFest – one of the cars that will support the Bloodhound world land speed record attempt. The Bloodhound F-TYPE R is the latest project of Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations and is wrapped in a bespoke livery created by Jaguar Design incorporating the Bloodhound SSC colours. This year's MotorFest promises to be bigger than ever with a range of attractions and gigs. The organisers close off the Coventry ring road to public traffic in order to host a number of motorsport activities and the Bloodhound F-TYPE will be taking part in laps on Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31. Jaguar will also be previewing its activities at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed – the theme of which this year is 'Flat Out and Fearless: Racing on the Edge' - by bringing along some of the most iconic cars from its rich heritage.