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2019 Jaguar XJ Collection Special Edition is a 300-unit curtain call

The current 2019 Jaguar XJ is effectively a lame duck, as we have previously reported production ended in July, 2019, and a new all-electric model is on the way. But before it's sent into the archives, Jaguar designed one last special-edition variant to celebrate the luxury sedan. It's called the XJ Collection Special Edition, and it's limited to 300 examples exclusively for the U.S. market. Matching the car's personality, the overall package is quite low-key. The exterior of the XJL can been draped in Yulong White, Santorini Black or British Racing Green (the obvious choice) and wears 20-inch five-spoke wheels with a satin gray finish. A "Collection" badge on the rear deck lid signifies the limited nature of the vehicle. The white or black models can be paired with Ebony/Ebony or Mineral/Ivory interiors, while the Green models can only be paired with an Ebony/London Tan interior. All examples will have door paneling in a gloss rich oak veneer with exclusive linear laser inlay. Jaguar also used "XJ Collection" branding on the metal tread plates, and an "XJ Collection One of 300" "intaglio" tags the dashboard. All 300 units start with the rear-drive long-wheelbase XJL Supercharged. That means all 300 have 470 horsepower and 424 lb-ft of torque, so its sleeper status remains. The XJ Collection Special Edition lists at $86,025, including destination.

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).

Top torque-to-weight ratios under $100k, $50k and $25k

Horsepower may steal a lot of headlines, but the always-more-complex torque figure is often a critical one for both the workingman and the motoring playboy. The measure of rotational force represents the twist that can liquefy one's tires or haul one's horse trailer. Good stuff.
It follows then, that as with the horsepower-to-weight list that we assembled for you a few months ago, a list of cars that offer the most pound-feet with the fewest pounds to carry, is an interesting one to break down. Sure, there's a big difference in how the torque is applied from a turbocharged six-cylinder in a Swedish luxury sedan and a massive heavy-duty truck's turbo-diesel. But being the car/stat geeks that we are, we think it's kinda neat that those two vehicles rank near each other where torque and weight intersect.
As with the horsepower list, we've given you figures as pounds per every one pound-foot. Again broken down into broad price categories, we've got a mixed bag of 2014 and 2015 models here, too. Every effort has been made to select the most up-to-date prices and specs, and we've also to omitted some '14 cars that won't be re-upped after the ongoing yearly changeover.