1968 Jaguar E-type on 2040-cars

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40th Jaguar E-Type ever made sells at auction for lb88k

The 40th Jaguar E-Type ever built, a right-hand-drive 1961 model, hit the auction block and was bought by an anonymous British buyer for 88,000 pounds ($141,310), ITV reports. The Jaguar had been stored at the previous owner's estate, in dry storage, at a derelict farm in Le Mans, France since July 1974.
E-Type chassis No. 860040 was bought by the previous owner in 1969 and was originally gray. But it was driven home to France and painted it in its current aubergine in 1974, before it was put into storage. During that time it was considered missing by experts, but there it sat under a dust sheet car cover for most of its life, so the body is in good condition. The family mechanic said that the car was last started about five years ago, and the engine recently was turned over. Coys auction house describes the original interior, which is also preserved well, as a "time warp."
Chris Routledge of Coys before the auction said, "They're sort of a mythical beast for enthusiast, at the time they were all handmade on special order, so Jaguar collectors look at the first 100 cars in a different way," BBC News reports. He added, "We estimate it to be worth between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds (about $32,100 to $64,200) but our feedback from collectors and interest worldwide suggests it could sell for between 80,000 and 100,000 pounds (about $128,500 to $160,600)." Of course, his revised estimate was right on target.

Jaguar Land Rover likely to build US plant... in three years

Jaguar Land Rover may very well open a plant in the United States, but the latest word has it that it'll be another three years or so before the company even makes a decision on the matter. The prospect first came up on our radar back in October when we reported that JLR was considering building a plant in the South. Georgia governor Nathan Deal even flew to the UK to solicit JLR's business. Former parent-company chairman Ratan Tata subsequently confirmed the idea was under consideration last month. And now the British automaker's CEO has told Automotive News that JLR will need a US assembly plant to fuel its growth in the vital North American market, but that'll it'll take a while to get going. The reasons for the delay, according to chief executive Ralf Speth, are threefold. For one thing, the automaker has its hands full at the moment opening plants in other locations: last year it opened one in China and this year it opened one in Brazil. It also recently opened a new SVO facility, an electric-propulsion R&D center and a new engine plant all in the UK, and can only handle building so many new facilities at a time. JLR will also need US suppliers of aluminum components to step up their game, as the company relies heavily on aluminum construction for their vehicles. US automakers shifting to aluminum for models like the new Ford F-150 will encourage American suppliers to get into the game, but it may be a while before they're up to Jaguar Land Rover standards. Finally, JLR will need to increase its sales potential in the US in order to justify local production. Speth says the company would need one model of which it could sell 30,000 to 40,000 units in the US alone, and it sold less than 18,000 units of its best-selling the Range Rover Sport here last year. In fact the entire Jaguar brand sold less than 16,000 units throughout all of last year in America, with Land Rover selling far more at over 50,000 units to contribute to total sales of over 67,000 units. Related Video: Featured Gallery Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Center View 16 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Jaguar Land Rover Plants/Manufacturing Jaguar Land Rover jaguar land rover jlr

David Brown Automotive launches old-is-new-again Speedback [w/video]

Back in January, we reported on a new British coachbuilder called David Brown Automotive. In February, the startup released the first details and images of its inaugural project, and now it has revealed the finished product.
It's called Speedback, and it's based on the Jaguar XKR. But while it's built on a modern chassis (relatively, anyway - the XK arrived in 2006 and is soon to be discontinued), it's been rebodied to look like a classic British GT. That means that, while it may look like a classic Aston Martin, it's got a thoroughly modern 5.0-liter supercharged V8 under the hood with over 500 horsepower on tap.
Otherwise, little in the way of details have been disclosed - including what you can bet will be an astronomic price that tends to come with these sorts of coachbuilt customs. But the important parts are what you can see, and that means the finest British craftsmanship inside and out. Whether you like the particular style or not, of course, is entirely a matter of taste.