2003 Jaguar X-type Base Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Jaguar Land Rover said to favor Europe rather than US for new plant

With its plants running at full tilt, Jaguar Land Rover is in desperate need of additional manufacturing capacity. That's led to reports that the Indian-owned British company was looking to join European, Japanese and Korean automakers in America's southern states, all while it opened new plants in the UK and China. The company even announced it would be building the Land Rover Discovery Sport in Brazil. Now, though, reports are suggesting that JLR is looking at Europe for a new facility, rather than the US, with Automotive News claiming the company's execs are eyeing the lower costs afforded by Austria and Turkey. The report cites the Birmingham Post (UK), the broadsheet that's closest to the company's headquarters. According to the original report, labor costs and wage disputes with unions are ruling out another factory in the UK, while those same disputes with labor outfits may also be souring the automaker on a US facility. "At this stage Europe seems more likely than America. The union pay dispute had a big effect," an unnamed source told the Post. "There is a feeling of alienation that has been left over from the way the pay talks were handled." JLR, meanwhile, offered a solid no comment to the Post, with a spokesperson saying, "No decision has been taken on future manufacturing locations. We will continue to evaluate opportunities to increase our manufacturing footprint in the future." Related Video:

CMC to produce limited run of Callum's Jaguar Mark 2 [w/video]

We were a more than a little jealous when designer Ian Callum revealed his Jaguar Mark 2 restomod that he commissioned from Classic Motor Cars. It turns out that we weren't the only ones that dug it - the reaction was so great that CMC got Callum's permission to create a limited run of them for customers. Although, with prices quoted between £350,000 and £375,000 ($572,000 - $613,000), we doubt Ian needs to worry about seeing a copy of his creation pass him too soon.
"Within hours we had received calls from people all over the globe asking if they could buy one," said Peter Neumark, Chairman of CMC in the latest announcement. The reaction came as a surprise to Callum, who said he designed the car entirely to his own specifications and actually wasn't sure if people would like it.
Among Callum's many changes are new bumpers, wider front fenders with functional louvers and less chrome trim. Under the hood is a 4.3-liter six-cylinder fitted with two SU carbs putting out around 260 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. It should be a much better driver too, with a completely re-engineered independent rear suspension, adjustable dampers at all four corners, improved brakes and a new rack and pinion steering system designed by CMC with electric assist.

Jaguar will sell 10 fully restored Series 1 E-Types

The Jaguar Land Rover "Reborn" program is expanding its offerings yet again. The newest offering is the first from the Jaguar side of the company, and naturally the first car is a Series 1 E-Type. Jaguar Classic will restore 10 of the first-generation E-Types, and the cars will be sold directly to consumers from the company. The very first of the cars is the 1965 model you see above, which will make its public debut next week at the Techno-Classica Essen show in Germany. It's a 4.2-liter model finished in "Opalescent Gunmetal Grey." According to Jaguar, it was originally sent to California where it racked up 78,000 miles, and then was put into storage in 1983. Jaguar then acquired the car, and the Jaguar Classic department proceeded to restore it to factory specifications. Jaguar fixed and retained as many original parts as possible, and used replacement Jaguar Classic parts as needed. The car is fully numbers-matching with the original engine and transmission. If you're interested in purchasing this E-Type, or one of the other nine, you'd better have a hefty pocketbook. A standard restored car done to factory specs will start at about $355,000 at current exchange rates. If you want to spend more, Jaguar offers a few extra cost options such as an upgraded cooling system based on the one found in the Lightweight E-Type, a fully synchromesh transmission for early models without it, and upgraded front brake calipers from the later Series 2 E-Type. Related Video: