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This classic Jaguar XJ has a 720-hp ungentlemanly secret

Forget Tawny Kitaen. If you want to make a Jaguar XJ rock, just do what this guy did: stuff a heavily modified and turbocharged General Motors V8 under the hood, and take it to the track.
The video calls this Series 1 XJ a sleeper, but with its open exhaust and obvious turbo whistle, the once-gentlemanly sedan is anything but. The owner says that the engine is GM LQ9 V8 that has been stroked to 402 cubic inches putting out around 720 horsepower with 12 pounds of boost (in standard form, this 6.0-liter V8 was used in the second-gen Cadillac Escalade). Check out the video below to see what that kind of power does for this classic Jaguar in the eighth-mile.

Jaguar redesigned the F-Type for 2021, and you can win one here

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment is necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. Before it was redesigned for the 2021 model year, the Jaguar F-Type was one of the best-looking vehicles on the market. The same can be said for the updated version. What also hasn’t changed is the fact that, while it looks great, it sounds even better. Thanks to a supercharged V8 that makes 575 horsepower, the growl of the F-Type can be heard long before you see it coming. Oh, itÂ’ll turn heads. ItÂ’s also quite a bit of fun to drive too. And Omaze is giving one away.  Win a 2021 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe - Enter at Omaze HereÂ’s what we thought of the F-Type when we first drove it last summer: “Being behind the wheel of the V8-powered F-Type R also remains an absolute hoot. You sit low in the cockpit, looking out over the long hood — we couldnÂ’t see the end of it without raising the seat up a smidge. The round steering wheel is large for a sports car, and while the leather is supple and grippy, it was tough to find a position where our hands were comfortable and our fingers could reach the clicky metal paddle shifters. Two seat types are available on F-Type models, but the more aggressive “Performance” seats come standard on the R. TheyÂ’re plenty bolstered, but wide enough to not be restricting on longer journeys. “The supercharged V8 fires up with a loud snarl, but a new Quiet Start mode can tone it down by closing the valves in the exhaust at startup. Your next-door neighbors will appreciate this feature, as the F-Type R is one of the loudest vehicles with a factory exhaust weÂ’ve ever tested. The engine and exhaust dominate the experience of the car from start to finish. Volume levels range from extremely loud to how the hell is this legal?  “Jaguar claims 60 mph comes in just 3.5 seconds, so acceleration within the speed limits is short-lived. This engineÂ’s nature, the way it makes power, is the most alluring part of the acceleration. You donÂ’t have to wait that split second for a couple turbos to spin up. The power is simply here, and thereÂ’s zero disconnect between your right foot and the Jag bounding forward. DonÂ’t shift before max horsepower comes on at 6,500 rpm, either, as the feeling of forward thrust just gets stronger the more you wind it out.

Goodbye, Shelby GT350; hello, new Honda Ridgeline and Subaru BRZ | Autoblog Podcast #648

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week's news includes Subaru teasing the next-generation Subaru BRZ, the Jaguar XE departing and the XF getting an update, Honda unveiling the new Ridgeline pickup and the Acura NSX suffering from slow sales. This week they talk about driving two vehicles on opposite ends of the spectrum: the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the Volkswagen Atlas. Autoblog Podcast #648 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Subaru previews next-generation BRZ, announces fall 2020 unveiling date Jaguar XE axed from U.S. market: And then there was one sedan 2021 Jaguar XF gets new interior, down to four-cylinder engines and sedan body style 2021 Honda Ridgeline debuts, and it finally looks like a truck Acura NSX sales lagging Cars we're driving: 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Heritage Edition 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: