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2016 Jaguar XJR meets 1988 XJR9-LM at Silverstone

The current Jaguar XJR is not the first Jaguar XJR. Not by a long shot. In fact there's a long and distinguished history of Jaguar production and racing models that have worn those letters over the years. So to highlight its lineage, Jaguar brought the 2016 model together with its nearly 30-year-old racing namesake to Silverstone. And it brought Andy Wallace along for the ride. Wallace won at Le Mans in 1988 driving the XJR9-LM. Designed for the race track and adorned with iconic Silk Cut livery, the XJR9 looks entirely different from the XJR luxury sedan you can buy today. And with a 7.0-liter V12 mounted amidships instead of the modern sedan's 5.0-liter supercharged V8 placed up front, they're mechanically different beasts as well. But it's not the difference in design, powertrain, or performance that Jaguar is highlighting in this video encounter. Instead, Wallace is impressed by the advancement of the lighting technology from the Le Mans racer he drove in the late 1980s to the sedan sold today. To hear him talk about how they used to use the headlights in the nighttime hours of the famously grueling endurance race is harrowing enough all on its own. Hear his story in the video above. NEW JAGUAR XJR MEETS XJR9-LM AT SILVERSTONE WITH LE MANS WINNER ANDY WALLACE AT THE WHEEL - Andy Wallace drives new Jaguar XJR and Le Mans-winning XJ-R9 LM at Silverstone - XJR9-LM – one of one million XJs now built – back on track at night for the first time since it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 - Track session presents benefits of new Jaguar XJ LED headlights in day and night driving conditions - Wallace discusses new XJR headlight technology, which offers drivers more confidence, safety and performance at night - New short film captures all the action https://youtu.be/IgMxSkJb058 (Whitley, Coventry - 16 November 2015): Legendary racing driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andy Wallace relived his 1988 victory by taking to the Silverstone circuit to drive the Jaguar XJR9-LM during day and night back-to-back with the new 550PS, 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 Jaguar XJR. Wallace discusses his experiences in the XJR9-LM and the new XJR in an exciting new film available to view and share at https://youtu.be/IgMxSkJb058 Driving at night on the Silverstone circuit gave Wallace the opportunity to test the new LED headlights on the new XJ, which are a first for Jaguar. "Driving at Le Mans back in 1988, it was so hard to see at night," said Wallace.

Watch Felipe Massa put the Jaguar C-X75 through its paces

Automakers who run their own racing teams enjoy the benefit of having top-flight professional racing drivers on call to help out with development work. Jaguar, unfortunately, has no such racing team, having sold its F1 operation to Red Bull back in 2004. So when it came time to put the C-X75 through its paces in this latest video, it turned to Felipe Massa. Why Massa, you ask? For one thing, having driven for so long for Ferrari, the Brazilian driver is used to applying his F1 skills in testing a supercar designed for the road. But since switching to Williams, he hasn't been called upon in that capacity. For another, it was Williams Advanced Engineering as much as Jaguar itself that spearheaded development of the C-X75. So Massa was the natural choice. The C-X75, for those who don't recall, represented Jaguar's plan to build a hybrid hypercar of its own. Having debuted way back in 2010 at the Paris Motor Show, the concept followed hot on the heels of the Porsche 918 concept unveiled earlier that year in Geneva – a predated by far the emergence of the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari. The original design called for a revolutionary powertrain combining a pair of micro-turbines and four individual electric motors in the wheels. When that proved unfeasible, Jaguar switched to a more conventional setup with a turbocharged hybrid powertrain. Unfortunately plans to put even that version into production were shelved. But the concept was revived for the filming of the latest James Bond movie Spectre. Check out the C-X75 being put through its paces by the eleven-time grand prix winner in the video above. Related Video:

Jaguar XE hits the 'Ring wearing swirly camo

Jaguar is happy to show off its new XE sedan on its social media sites, but when testing at the Nürburgring, it's a very different story. These spy shots show the new model in camouflage to make it much harder to discern, but there are still some intriguing details to pick out.
These photos give us a really good look at the XE's quirky rear end. The sedan has a super short trunk that almost fools you into thinking its a notchback, but the top edge of the trunk is clearly visible. It's a somewhat odd-looking design with the rear glass running underneath the roof's overhang to create an integrated spoiler. Despite the camo, the front end is the same as ever with a blunt edge and sharp headlights. Jag certainly isn't afraid to try something a little different compared to the XE's competitors, notably the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.
Some technical details about the XE are already established. This 3 Series-fighter is slated to go on sale in foreign markets in 2015 and in the US in 2016. We know that it ride's on Jag's new aluminum platform that also underpins the C-X17 crossover concept, and power comes from a pair of 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines, available in petrol- or diesel-fueled configurations.