1969 Jaguar Xk 2+2 Coupe on 2040-cars

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Lapping Le Mans with 1956's version of a dash cam

Mike Hawthorne and Ivor Bueb won The 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955 driving a Jaguar D-Type. The following year, a few days before the race, a British broadcaster put cameras on Hawthorne's car, hung a mic from a plate on his race suit and had him narrate a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe.
It is compelling viewing. A new pit complex was built after the massive accident on the front straight in 1955, but this was still a time when crews prepped for the race on roads that were open to the public. Hawthorne's lap includes maneuvers to avoid bicyclists and cars, and gems like letting us know that doing 185 miles per hour down the Mulsanne Straight was where you could "relax a little, recover your energy." Watch him work it like the men of old in the video below.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla store reboot, Jaguar "EV-Type" an electric F-Pace?

The Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program is creating demand for EVs. $1 million has been set aside for rebates ranging from $750 to $3,000 per car, depending on battery size (in addition to federal incentives). Dealers also get an incentive of $150 to $300 per vehicle to help motivate them to promote EVs. "This is the type of program that can be a win-win-win for the state, auto manufacturers, dealers and consumers," says Chevrolet dealer Leo Karl, who has seen a jump in demand for the Volt under the CHEAPR program. Karl expects the funds to run out as early as this fall. Read more at Automotive News. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is scheduled to go on sale in the US in May 2016. As Mitsubishi makes some changes, including plans to ditch its Normal, IL assembly plant, the company's future in the US is being called into question. The new date for the plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander comes after multiple delays. Mitsubishi also plans to offer a 2016 model of the i-MiEV despite slowing sales. Read more at Automotive News. Tesla is overhauling its stores in advance of the Model X going on sale. The revamp includes informative interactive displays and a heavier emphasis on Tesla merchandise sales. The displays provide information about safety, Autopilot technology, the charging network, electric motors and other information to help familiarize customers with Tesla. The Tesla Design Collection - which includes luggage, apparel and other gear - also helps position Tesla as a luxury lifestyle brand, rather than just a mere automaker. Expect the stores to be continually updated over time. "Tesla is able to pivot in their stores the way they release new software," says Cadent Consulting Group's Ken Harris. "This is important to an emerging brand." Learn more from Bloomberg. Could Jaguar be planning an electric F-Pace called the EV-Type to compete with the Tesla Model X? Autocar is reporting that the upcoming SUV from Jaguar could spawn a whole family of vehicles, including an all-electric version. Jaguar has registered the trademark for the EV-Type name, and that vehicle would likely be built at the Magna Steyr factory in Graz, Austria. That would free up capacity to build the traditionally powered F-Pace in the UK. Read more at Green Car Reports, or at Autocar.

2019 Jaguar F-Pace adds technology, gets to keep all its engines

Jaguar recently revealed a lightly refreshed XE sports sedan with a more modern interior and technology, but it also lost its V6 and diesel engine options. That led us to believe the same might happen to the updated 2019 Jaguar F-Pace, but instead, it gets a lighter update inside and both the diesel four-cylinder and supercharged V6 engines stick around for another model year. While styling stays the same, the technology updates for the 2019 F-Pace are welcome. All F-Paces get a bigger 10-inch infotainment display, and the system itself has updated graphics from the I-Pace electric car. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now available, too, but as an optional extra. The tech updates aren't just limited to infotainment, though. The blind-spot monitoring system will now apply a counter-steering force if it detects an object when the driver begins to merge. The optional adaptive cruise control now has an active steering feature that will keep the car centered in its lane on the highway. With the added technology updates comes higher prices. The base 25t four-cylinder F-Pace price goes up by $2,735 for a total of $45,825 with destination. The diesel-powered 20d jumps $2,475 for a total of $49,775. The 30t with the more powerful four-cylinder engine increases $2,475 to $51,275. The V6-equipped S has the smallest increase of $2,025 bringing its final base price to $62,825. The new SVR wasn't around last year, so it doesn't see an increase, but for reference it starts at $81,015 with destination.