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Ride like a royal with Queen Elizabeth II's Jaguar X-Type

The British royal family may be best known for more high-end machinery such as Land Rovers, Bentleys or even King Charles' wine-powered Aston Martin. But not everything was quite so flashy, such as this 2009 Jaguar X-Type wagon, which was owned and driven by the late Queen Elizabeth II. And now it could be yours, since it's heading for auction. We heard about it via Robb Report, and it's being sold by Historic Auctioneers in the U.K. It was very clearly owned by the royal family, as evidenced by the photos of her driving the car, and apparently its initial registration was a royal plate number. We also noticed that in photos of her driving, there's a dog barrier in the back, so the queen's corgis may have been onboard at some point, too. It also has a little over 70,000 miles and has a comprehensive service history. Set aside the royal connection, though, and the X-Type is a relatively unexceptional car. Though it features plenty of Jaguar trimmings from the exterior design, to the wood and leather interior and the J-gate shifter, underneath it was based on the front-wheel-drive Ford Mondeo. In America at the time, that was seen as beneath a luxury brand, particularly to be based on a Ford. Jaguar executives later even admitted that they made some major mistakes with the X-Type, which were rectified with the spiritual successor, the rear-drive XE. The queen's example of the X-Type is, unsurprisingly, about the best-equipped version. It has all-wheel drive and the 3.0-liter gas-powered V6. In the U.S., gas V6s were the only engine options, with a 2.5-liter available early on. It made 227 horsepower and 206 pound-feet of torque. In the U.K., though, there were turbodiesel four-cylinder engines available, as well as front-wheel drive. It also has a lovely tan leather interior with the aforementioned wood trimmings. And being a wagon, it's the most practical. According to Historic Auctioneers, the X-Type wagon was also the first Jag that designer Ian Callum worked on, who went on to revitalize the brand with clean, modern designs for the next decade. The car will be auctioned on November 26 in the Mercedes-Benz World auction. No price estimates were given. With its royal connection, it will surely go for more than your average old Jaguar. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Land Rover planning SVX hardcore off-roaders

The new Special Vehicle Operations division at Jaguar Land Rover has already given us an array of ultimate wheeled creations, but it isn't quite done yet. Next, according to Car and Driver, will be a new line of SVX models. Not to be confused with the Subaru coupe from the 1990s (which also had all-wheel drive, come to think of it), Land Rover's SVX models will be hardcore off-roaders. Details are few and far between at the moment, but they're said to take inspiration from rough-terrain events like the Dakar Rally and Camel Trophy as inspiration – different from the Ford F-150 Raptor that takes its cues from the Baja 1000. Last we heard, Land Rover was planning a hardcore Defender to send the model off to pasture in high-performance style, and considering an extreme Range Rover as well. If either of those rumors materialize, they look like they'd be prime candidates for the SVX line. JLR Special Vehicle Operations has already showcased what it can do with the high-performance Range Rover Sport SVR, the luxed-up Range Rover SVAutobiography, the exclusive F-Type Project 7 and the continuation classic Lightweight E-Type. C/D confirms that further SVR models are in store to replace Jaguar's R-S performance models, while the SVX line would likely remain exclusive to Land Rover.

Jaguar builds F-Type to support Tour de France team [w/video]

The Tour de France is typically a two-wheeled affair, dominated by cyclists yearning to capture the prestigious yellow jersey. While the 2014 event winds its way through Europe, Stage 20 will see an altogether different conveyance wind along the route between Bergerac and Périgueux - the Jaguar F-Type Coupe.
As part of its partnership with the British cyclists of Team Sky, Jag has enlisted its new Special Operations division to build a one-off F-Type Coupe, based on the 550-horsepower, supercharged R model.
SpecOps has removed the rear glass and come up with a creative solution to mount a pair of Team Sky's racing cycles in the back. Aside from that upgrade, the cabin boasts new upholstery in the colors of Team Sky's traditional livery. A separate power supply has been established below the bikes in what's left of the trunk, which provides juice for a set of radios and microphones, so that the team's director can communicate with the riders.