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Xcar drives Jaguar C-X75, other Spectre villains of 007

James Bond returns to US theaters very soon in Spectre, and with the action-packed film wrapped, the producers are lending out the keys to some of the movie's automotive stars. We've already seen Jay Leno behind the wheel of Bond's Aston Martin DB10. Now, Xcar's Alex Goy has taken a turn in some of the flick's villainous rides from Jaguar Land Rover, including a very special Jaguar C-X75. The crew from JLR's Special Vehicle Operations team certainly did an impressive job of giving the movies baddies some appropriately nefarious rides. To challenge Bond, they turned the Land Rover Defender into a beast with chunky, off-road tires and blinding-spot lights. They also made the Range Rover Sport SVR even more diabolical than normal with a blacked-out look and LED lightbar. Of course, the king of Spectre's villain cars is the C-X75. According to Goy, most of the ones in the movie use the company's 5.0-liter, supercharged V8, but two are actually original prototypes with the hybrid setup. He gets to drive one of those special examples in this clip. While limited to some low-speed cruising, the coupe still looks wonderfully menacing on the road. Related Video:

Stolen Jaguar Recovered Forty-Six Years Later

Forty-six years ago Ivan Schneider, successful Manhattan lawyer, bought himself the Jaguar convertible that would feature in a most unusual tale of unrequited love. It was the first (and "prettiest") of many luxury cars he would own, his companion on fast drives - and the only one that was ever stolen. Forty-six years later, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol analyst running a routine export check through a stolen car database came up with a hit. The 1967 Jaguar XKE was hot. The problem: It was already on a cargo ship, in a container, headed for Europe, two days out of the Port of Long Beach on the Pacific Ocean. Investigators with the California Highway Patrol and nonprofit National Insurance Crime Bureau got to work. New York police still had the March 1968 incident report. CHP investigator Michael Maleta spoke with Schneider in Florida, where he now lives. Schneider thought it was a prank. "After we convinced him, he was excited," said Maleta. After all, Schneider told The Associated Press on Wednesday, he would think of the car every time he bought a new one. And, he said, he is a car guy who has owned quite a few exotics. For the months he owned it, he was in love. "I've always said that was the prettiest," Schneider, now 82, said. Tracing the car's history, Maleta learned the Southern California man exporting it to the Netherlands had bought it about three months ago from an owner in the San Joaquin Valley, who himself had it 40 years. What happened between its disappearance from the concrete canyons of the Upper East Side and its California sojourn - Maleta hopes his investigation will answer that. After its out-and-back sea journey to the Netherlands, the car is back in Southern California, more than two months after the law finally found it. It's rusty and scratched, but still worth about $24,000 - and far more if restored, as Schneider plans to do. He just won't push it too hard. It's old, so is he, and though beautiful it is known for trouble under the hood. "I'll use it as a Sunday car," Schneider said. "They were never reliable." At least, one day soon, it will be back home. Related Gallery 2014 Jaguar XJR Test Drive Weird Car News Jaguar stolen car

Land Rover will put a Covid-nuking air filtration system in future cars

Jaguar - Land Rover (JLR) is developing an air filtration system that inhibits up to 97% of viruses and airborne bacteria. Designed like a face mask for your car's HVAC system, it's built on Panasonic's Nanoe X technology. Most of the company's models (including the Land Rover Defender) currently come equipped with Panasonic's Nanoe technology and PM2.5 filtration. Nanoe X is 10 times more effective, according to the brand, because it relies on a high voltage to create trillions of hydroxyl (OH) radicals enveloped in nano-sized water molecules. Think of them as Roman guards in front of a fortress: they keep the bad out, and ensure only the good can come in. Viruses and bacteria proteins are denatured when they come into contact with the filtration system, meaning they can't reproduce or grow. The OH radicals also zap common allergens and mold, but they're harmless to humans. JLR stressed it's not relying on computer simulations to decide whether its filtration system works as designed. It asked British laboratory Perfectus Biomed to perform a test that simulates a ventilation system in recirculation mode for a 30-minute cycle in a sealed chamber. The results were encouraging: 97% of viruses and airborne bacteria were nuked. The carmaker pointed out Panasonic's Nanoe X technology has been independently proven to inhibit 99.995% of coronaviruses during a two-hour laboratory test carried out by French immunology lab Texcell. Future models from Jaguar and Land Rover will use this technology, though a representative for both companies declined to tell us when it will reach production, and which nameplate(s) will inaugurate it. Meanwhile, Honda launched its own coronavirus killer across the pond. It's a cabin air filter sold as a genuine replacement part that consists of four layers, including one coated with an active substance of fruit extract that inactivates nearly 100% of the viral aerosols it captures. It's available in Europe through Honda dealers, but it won't be sold in America. Jaguar Land Rover