1983 Jaguar Xjs Coupe on 2040-cars

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The Jaguar XKSS, famed ride of King of Cool, is new again

You might remember earlier this year, when we told you Jaguar had confirmed that it would follow up the limited-run of continuation E-Types – completely new, built from scratch classics – with a new run of the impossibly cool XKSS. Those folks in Coventry weren't pulling our leg, because we're here in LA and the brand new XKSS is here, too. Actually, they're 60 years late. If you remember the story we told you when Jaguar said it'd be building these things, there were originally to be 25 cars in total. 16 were built, and the other nine were destroyed in a fire at the Browns Lane factory. Thus, nine original XKSS cars have been missing, and the nine XKSSs that Jaguar will build for a cool GBP1 million each will round out the initial production run. If you're not familiar with the XKSS, here's a little background. Jaguar won Le Mans three times in a row in a factory racer known as the D-Type. After withdrawing factory support in 1956, some privateers continued on with the car, but Jaguar didn't. That left several D-Types sitting about Browns Lane in various degrees of completion. Sir William Lyons had them converted to road spec, which involved adding such niceties as a windshield and passenger door, but otherwise they were not far removed from the Le Man-winning cars they were based on. That meant that they were, to put it mildly, a lot of car for the street. The kind of person an XKSS appealed to was stylish and adventurous, and someone who craved speed. Someone like Steve McQueen, perhaps. His old XKSS is sitting in the Petersen Museum in LA, which not-coincidentally is where Jaguar assembled us to see the wraps pulled off the new one. The "new" XKSSs are generally faithful to the original design, with the bodies hand-formed off bucks that were themselves created off an original XKSS. The body is made out of exotic magnesium, an extremely lightweight metal which is often misunderstood to be extremely flammable. It is, but much more so when it's in little pieces, like shavings; formed into a car body, it's not quite the incendiary device you might think it'd be. Even the processes to form the chassis is the same, such as the bronze welding technique used to bond its tubing. A few concessions to modern safety are fitted, however. There's a fuel cell, partly due to the additional safety it provides but also to better resist the harrowing effects of modern ethanol blend fuel.

Jaguar XE SV Project 8 takes Laguna Seca production sedan record

Jaguar has claimed another Laguna Seca record with Randy Pobst at the wheel. This time around, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 became the fastest four-door sedan to lap the track, with a time of 1 minute, 37.54 seconds. The record follows the production electric car record set in late August with an unmodified I-Pace HSE, and it's also the fastest recorded Jaguar time on the track; the previous fastest Jaguar there was the 575-horsepower F-Type SVR. As it seems most Laguna Seca records have been set by Pobst, the previous four-door production sedan record was also his handiwork, in a Cadillac CTS-V. That time was about a second slower than the XE SV Project 8, at 1 minute, 38.52. The fastest Pobst time at Laguna Seca stands at 1:28.65, driven with a Dodge Viper ACR MkV. The Laguna Seca record isn't the first lap record claimed by the XE SV Project 8, as it took the production sedan honors at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in November 2017, with a time of 7 minutes, 21.23 seconds. Only 300 vehicles will be built, at the JLR Special Vehicle Operations facility in Coventry, England. The XE SV Project 8 hits 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, thanks to its 591-horsepower, supercharged V8 engine, which propels it all the way to 200 mph. There are two versions available, a more road-suitable four-seater and a special Track Pack car with lightweight carbon fiber racing seats.Related Video:

2024 Jaguar F-Pace Review: Fun, pretty and luxe, the big Jag's better with age

Pros: Engaging to drive; good looks; high-class cabin; crazy-good sport seats; big cargo area and generally more spacious than compact rivals Cons: Pricier than compact rivals, smaller than midsize ones; base engine acceleration a touch off the pace; convoluted climate controls The Jaguar F-Pace has now been around for quite some time – eight years have passed since we first got behind the wheel in far-flung Montenegro. While most vehicles would be well past their best years and already replaced by now, the 2024 Jaguar F-Pace is an example of something that has actually gotten better with age. Its infotainment technology is up to date and far easier to use than anything Jaguar Land Rover has offered before. Its cabin quality and design are better, the engines have been upgraded, and we even think the design tweaks made a few years ago improved upon an already knockout design. In many ways, the F-Pace is reminiscent of another small SUV thatÂ’s thrived past the usual best-by date: the Porsche Macan. It too is fun to drive, with exceptional steering, sharp handling and compelling performance, especially from the six- and eight-cylinder models. They are both for SUV shoppers looking to enjoy their time behind the wheel (and look good doing it), and are OK paying more money than other compact luxury SUVs. There is one major difference, though: The F-Pace is not only much bigger than the Macan, itÂ’s bigger than most of those other compact luxury SUVs. ItÂ’s closer to a midsize, with the closest size comparable being the Lexus RX. That grants it a spacious back seat and a surprising amount of cargo space. We were honestly not expecting to like the F-Pace as much as we did during a recent test drive of the P400 R-Dynamic S. It seemed likely that all those years in between times behind the wheel wouldnÂ’t have been kind. Far from it. We like it even better, and think those in the market for an SUV in its price range should give it a shot. Interior & Technology   |   Passenger & Cargo Space   |   Performance & Fuel Economy What it's like to drive   |   Pricing & Trim Levels   |   Crash Ratings & Safety Features What's new for 2024? Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can now be connected wirelessly. Jaguar also trimmed the F-Pace lineup down to three versions, all tied to a different engine. This results in the base price ballooning by $8,000 since the new base trim level is the R-Dynamic S.