1993 Jaguar Xjs Base Coupe 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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2021 Jaguar E-Pace spied on the Nurburgring hiding its styling changes

We just spied a Jaguar E-Pace lapping the Nurburgring covered in camouflage from front to back. Jaguar released the first E-Pace as a 2018 model year, so we’re fast approaching what will be the modelÂ’s first light refresh. Things donÂ’t appear to be drastically changing from an exterior design perspective. The same shapes, cutouts and vents are all visible on the rear fascia and hatch. Even the slick taillights look largely the same as the E-Pace thatÂ’s on sale now. If thereÂ’s going to be some change in this crossover, we suspect itÂ’ll be up front where the coverings change from skin-tight camo print to pieces of fabric that completely disguise whatÂ’s underneath. Two cutouts in the fabric are visible on the side air intakes, presumably allowing air to pass through to keep the E-PaceÂ’s vitals cool on the Nurburgring. Possible changes include a new grille and front bumper design, most likely mimicking the lightly massaged F-Pace front end design. Seeing that Jaguar spent most of its time upgrading the F-PaceÂ’s interior, thereÂ’s a good chance Jaguar is doing the same with the E-Pace. ItÂ’s definitely the area that requires the most attention, especially now that the F-PaceÂ’s interior is so handsome. WeÂ’d love to see Jaguar put as much tech and style into its small crossover, and this is its chance to do that. Powertrain options shouldnÂ’t depart much from what you can buy now. ThereÂ’s a P250 packing a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder thatÂ’s good for 246 horsepower. The upgrade is the P300 with a more potent four-cylinder, raising output to 296 horsepower. Seeing as the recently redesigned Evoque still has no engine more powerful than the E-Pace, the Jag will likely carry over these power units, as well. If anything, the E-Pace will gain a mild-hybrid powertrain option, which could be what Jaguar is stress testing on the Nurburgring right here. Jaguar still hasnÂ’t announced the 2021 E-Pace, so this model could be the refresh. If theyÂ’re not as far along as we guess, itÂ’ll certainly end up being the 2022 E-Pace. Either way, an improved E-Pace isnÂ’t that far out.

Junkyard Gem: 1995 Jaguar XJR

It's not too difficult to find discarded examples of the supercharged-V8-powered Jaguar XJR of the X308 generation, but the earlier X300-based XJR with its blown straight-six is a much more elusive Junkyard Gem. Here's one that just turned up in a Denver self-service knacker's yard. For many years, the Denver Pick Your Part was a funky, muddy operation on an industrial stretch of Federal Boulevard. I bought a lot of parts for various projects and documented dozens of discarded vehicles for this series there. On April first, LKQ moved that operation to a brand-new location a half-mile away and I showed up early to experience the grand opening. I'll miss the old Denver Pick Your Part, even with the treacherous footing, but sometimes even junkyards get junked. The new location is set in a vast asphalt parking lot, which should make it easier for shoppers to get around and extract parts. One of the employees drives this seriously cool Scion xB project, so that's a good sign. As I walked the rows, this two-tone Jag caught my attention immediately. What's going on here? The VIN says it's a genuine XJR, complete with supercharged 4.0-liter straight-six rated at 322 horsepower and 378 pound-feet. That beat the 313-horse V12 in the XJ12 that sat next to it in the showrooms. The supercharger is a member of the same Eaton family that was used in the Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe. This makes sense, because Ford had purchased Jaguar in 1989. The U.S.-market X306 XJR was available only with an automatic transmission; a few hundred with five-speed manuals were sold in Europe. The version we got here was good for 14.9-second quarter-mile times and ran 0-60 in 6.6 seconds— not bad for a car that scaled in at 4,215 pounds. The MSRP was a cool $65,000, or about $134,206 in 2024 dollars. The 1995 XJ12 listed at $77,250, which comes to $159,499 after inflation. This generation of XJR was sold here for just the 1995 through 1997 model years, after which it was replaced by the V8 XJR. Just 6,547 were built. This one received a heavy customization at some point, including big SUPERCHARGED badging. The bonnet is covered with faux carbon fiber, which was all the rage during the early Fast & Furious Era. The upholstery has been redone in well-executed two-tone embroidered leather. I knew there had to be some traces of this car online. Sure enough, Mecum auctioned it in Denver back in the summer of 2015.

Rising aluminum costs cut into Ford's profit

When Ford reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to fret that rising metals costs have cut into profits, even as rivals say they have the problem under control. Aluminum prices have risen 20 percent in the last year and nearly 11 percent since Dec. 11. Steel prices have risen just over 9 percent in the last year. Ford uses more aluminum in its vehicles than its rivals. Aluminum is lighter but far more expensive than steel, closing at $2,229 per tonne on Tuesday. U.S. steel futures closed at $677 per ton (0.91 metric tonnes). Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is weighing whether to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which could push prices even higher. Ford gave a disappointing earnings estimate for 2017 and 2018 last week, saying the higher costs for steel, aluminum and other metals, as well as currency volatility, could cost the company $1.6 billion in 2018. Ford shares took a dive after the announcement. Ford Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks told analysts at a conference in Detroit last week that while the company benefited from low commodity prices in 2016, rising steel prices were now the main cause of higher costs, followed by aluminum. Shanks said the automaker at times relies on foreign currencies as a "natural hedge" for some commodities but those are now going in the opposite direction, so they are not working. A Ford spokesman added that the automaker also uses a mix of contracts, hedges and indexed buying. Industry analysts point to the spike in aluminum versus steel prices as a plausible reason for Ford's problems, especially since it uses far more of the expensive metal than other major automakers. "When you look at Ford in the context of the other automakers, aluminum drives a lot of their volume and I think that is the cause" of their rising costs, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at auto consultancy LMC Automotive. Other major automakers say rising commodity costs are not much of a problem. At last week's Detroit auto show, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne reiterated its earnings guidance for 2018 and held forth on a number of topics, but did not mention metals prices. General Motors Co gave a well-received profit outlook last week and did not mention the subject. "We view changes in raw material costs as something that is manageable," a GM spokesman said in an email.