Add This Classic Beauty To Your Collection on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar XFR-S pitted against Mercedes E63 AMG

It was Steve Sutcliffe at Autocar who got the tough job of comparing the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG to the limited edition Jaguar XFR-S on the track and sheep-strewn British B-roads. In UK spec both Mephistophelean sedans wrangle the same 542 horsepower, but step out of the corral and things look to weigh heavily in the Mercedes' favor: it has more torque, it's lighter, it's quicker from 0-to-60 and it's less expensive.
But that's on paper. Sutcliffe was given the job to see what effect all those letters and numbers had on the real-world driving experience. One of them is "an absolute hoot at the track" with great steering and weight management, one is "magnificent." To find out which is which, watch the video below.

Jaguar opens new engine plant in the UK

The heads of Jaguar Land Rover are having a busy couple of weeks opening factories. Just days after inaugurating the company's first overseas plant in China, the automaker's new Engine Manufacturing Center in the UK is being inaugurated, as well. The plant near Wolverhampton, England, marks the first time in decades that JLR is building its own powerplants in-house. Further signaling the importance of this launch for the business, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were on hand and even tweeted about it.
The factory's first major project is to build JLR's latest Ingenium four-cylinders, starting with the 2.0-liter diesel version. "Our new Engine Manufacturing Centre is an important step in advancing the competitiveness and capability of the UK automotive sector. The production of in-house engines will support the expansion of the UK supply chain providing critical mass for inward investment," said Trevor Leeks, plant operations director in the automaker's announcement.
Opening the doors to the Engine Manufacturing Center has been years in the making for JLR. The plant was first announced in September 2011 and broke ground in June 2012. Building it cost the company 500 million pounds ($800 million) and created 1,400 new jobs. Of course, being a state-of-the-art factory, considerations were made to make the place as energy efficient as possible. That meant installing the UK's largest solar array with 21,000 panels to produce about 30 percent of the site's electricity needs.

Jay Leno's Garage features funnyman's 1963 Jaguar E-Type

Jay Leno looks inward on this episode of his eponymous garage, checking out a 1963 Jaguar XKE that he bought earlier this year. It is an example of his favorite kind of car, that being original and unrestored. He bought the E-Type from its first owner, a woman who purchased it new, held on to it for 50 years and took excellent care of it. Having never been in an accident, Leno says even the paint is 85- to 90-percent original.
In the video, the XKE sits in front of two heavily modded XK120s and another '63 XKE, but Leno said all he's done - and all he plans to do - is clean it up and put on a modern set of wire wheels for safety.
He's not on any junket and there are no guests, it's just a guy talking about an object dear to his heart. If you need a refresher on the excellent genes of the new F-Type, check out the video below.