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Petrolicious examines a very special Jaguar C-Type

There are rare Jaguars, and then there's this stunning C-Type Lightweight Le Mans. Built in response to the dominance of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL at the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jaguar made only three C-Types for 1953 and managed to capture first, second, and fourth. These cars featured four-wheel disc brakes – a rarity at the time even in endurance racing – and a lighter aluminum body. The two SU carburetors were swapped out for three Webers, meaning more power and, according to RM Sotheby's David Swig, better throttle response. Swig would know. In the latest video from Petrolicious, he takes the fourth-place C-Type for a ride, giving us a look at the sleek open-roof racer in action, while our ears enjoy the delicious sound of the 3.4-liter, twin-cam straight-six. "What I love about these cars is how communicative they are on the road," Swig told Petrolicious. "How when you're going through a corner, you feel in the seat of your pants and through the steering wheel every little movement, every little pebble that you drive over." Beyond the driving experience, there's something to be said of the historical seat Swig is occupying. "No less than five Le Mans-winning drivers of this period have sat behind the wheel of this car," Swig said, "which almost give you goosebumps." Should you have the money, you can actually put this iconic racing Jaguar in your garage. RM Sotheby's will offer it for auction as part of its glitzy Monterey Car Week event next month. While you can look forward to our coverage of that event come August, you can enjoy the sight and sound of this iconic C-Type in the latest episode from Petrolicious.

2020 Jaguar F-Type loses manual option, costs more money

When Jaguar showed off its 2020 F-Type Checkered Flag Edition in October 2018, we wrote, "Somewhat surprisingly, the Checkered Flag upgrades will only be applied to four- and six-cylinder models paired with the eight-speed automatic." At the time, we didn't understand why buyers weren't offered the manual transmission. Now we know: Along with applying slight price bumps to the F-Type for the 2020 model year, Jaguar has eliminated the manual gearbox. The F-Type is only available with an eight-speed auto now, and our list of cars with manual options has shortened again. That blow exposes the recurring flaw with every "Save the Manuals!" campaign; row-your-owners can't buy enough manual-equipped cars to repay the favor. Car and Driver said that since the F-Type's introduction for the 2013 model year, four percent of buyers have chosen the stick. On a sports car. There's a good chance that a greater number of people have bought unicorn hunting licenses from Lake Superior State University. In kinder news, the Front Parking Aid and Smartphone Pack, which enables Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, come standard, and Eiger Gray and Portofino Blue join the paint palette. Starting from the bottom, the base, rear-wheel-drive F-Type coupe with the 296-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder costs $62,625 after the $1,025 for destination fee. The convertible costs $65,725 after destination. Both prices represent an $850 increase over 2019. A RWD coupe with the 340-hp, 3.0-liter supercharged V6 costs $72,225, a $1,050 increase, the roadster asking $75,225, a $925 bump. The F-Type Checkered Flag Edition, based on the F-Type R-Dynamic trim, runs $72,925 for the coupe, $75,325 for the convertible in 300-hp, four-cylinder, RWD guise. Move to the 380-hp, supercharged six-cylinder, AWD model, and that'll be $95,525 for the coupe, $97,925 for the convertible. In between them, the regular F-Type R-Dynamic runs a price range from $85,325 as a RWD coupe to $91,425 as an AWD convertible, all prices rising by $950. From there on up it's all AWD and high horsepower. The F-Type R with the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 in 550-hp trim runs $102,825 as a hardtop, $105,925 as a droptop, a $1,050 premium over 2019. Ring the bell with that V8 in 575-hp SVR fettle, and pay $124,625 as a coupe, $127,725 as a convertible, reflecting an $850 increase. The 2020 F-Type is at dealers now.

Jaguar teaches Mena Suvari and Sebastian Stan how to drive the F-Type

Automakers conduct driver training programs on racing circuits around the world for a variety of participants: journalists, customers, even celebrities. And at a recent session of the Jaguar Performance Driving Academy at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the Leaping Cat marque had a couple of the Hollywood types in the paddock.
In addition to the various (evidently well-heeled) members of the public, learning how to pilot the new F-Type Coupe R on the track this time around were actors Sebastian Stan and Mena Suvari. You might recognize Stan from his roll as Bucky Barnes in the Captain America movies and Suvari from such red, white and blue favorites as American Beauty and the American Pie franchise, but both got a first-hand taste of one of Britain's finest courtesy of Jaguar.
So how did it go? Well, as one of the less-famous participants put it, it was #awesomesauce." We couldn't possibly reproduce in words her enthusiasm in person and on camera, so you'll just have to watch the video below to see for yourself.