1952 Jaguar Xk-120 Roadster on 2040-cars

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Top Gear season 25 opens with a V8 roadtrip through America

Great news for fans of BBC Top Gear: the first episode of season 25 is here. Viewers of BBC America will catch the season opener on March 3, and for the American audience this episode is definitely suitable watching. The episode has been dedicated to V8 sportscars almost in its entirety, as it's been wrapped around a Western roadtrip with a motorsport bias. The three hosts get to choose three V8 sports cars, with the basic idea of finding the best all-rounder. Matt LeBlanc goes for a Hennessey-tuned GT350R, Rory Reid chooses a Jaguar F-Type SVR, and Chris Harris shakes up the pack by selecting a McLaren 570GT. It's a nicely varied trio, with V8 power still showing what it's good for. There are various challenges along the way, just like there should be on a Top Gear roadtrip episode – even if the road surface itself isn't always ideal. But things smoothen out, all the way to a NASCAR oval and an airport runway; the flooded Bonneville salt flats aren't suitable for shenanigans, so substitutes have to be found. The trio also hit dirt roads, and have to evade a buggy-driving Ken Block during a "moonshine run to the border." Fans of Sabine Schmitz will be pleased to find her piloting a chain car racer, which consists of two American junk cars with a Honda CRX chained in the middle. It must make sense to someone. The Star In A Reasonably Priced Car segment has been retained for this season. This time it's the British actor Rob Brydon driving the Toyota GT86, on a very wet lap around the show's Dunsfold Aerodrome track that must be a cult classic by now. All in all, the season 25 opener is exactly what it says on the tin. There's nothing out of the ordinary, but it still has excellent cinematography, V8 roar and some nice landscapes. Classic Top Gear. Cowboy duels, Sabine Schmitz chain car racing, @RobBrydon, a @kblock43 car chase and #TheStig The latest episode of #TopGear is available on @BBCiPlayer now. Outside the UK? See local listings here: https://t.co/HPPhbUErDu pic.twitter.com/87F53C8oYb — Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) February 26, 2018 Related Video:

Leno and Ian Callum pilot Jaguar XK120 at 2014 Mille Miglia

Jay Leno has been in a British mood recently with his videos highlighting the McLaren P1, 1962 Norton 650SS and Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS. He's keeping the streak alive this week with a look at driving a Jaguar XK120 in the 2014 Mille Miglia historic rally with Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum.
The video show off Jay Leno's Garage in top form. It's way more than just Jay driving the 1,000-mile route from Brescia, Italy, to Rome and back. He also includes interviews with Stirling Moss about winning the race back in 1955, and racer Martin Brundle about what it's like to drive a long-nose Jaguar D-Type this year.
Today, the Mille Miglia is only for historic cars, and it has a much more relaxed pace than the original all-out event. However, this isn't entirely a cruise. Leno seems scared at times talking about it because the drivers are free to ignore the speed limits and open the cars up as much as they are willing to. The roads aren't shut down for regular traffic, either, and things can be dangerous.

2018 Jaguar XE S AWD Drivers' Notes | Don't stop me now ...

The 2018 Jaguar XE S AWD plays in a tough segment. The relative newcomer jumps into the fray with the BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes-Benz C Class, Audi A4 and Cadillac ATS. While it's available with a number of engine and drivetrain combinations, this model came with the top-tier 380-horsepower supercharged V6, the same one found in the Jaguar F-Type. It transforms the XE from a calm but capable sport sedan into a real hotrod. Our test car had nearly all the bells and whistles Jaguar offers. The Firenze Red paint was accented by blacked-out trim, giving it a far cooler look than the standard chrome brightwork does. The interior features red-and-black heated and ventilated leather seats, carbon-fiber trim, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system and more. It comes with adaptive cruise control, but, as we learned, you need to scrape all the ice off the sensors for it to play ball. Associate Editor Reese Counts: I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I utterly despise the white stuff when it's 6:30 a.m. and I'm digging out my driveway and dreaming of the warm pillow I left behind as my pants slowly soak through and the fine motor control in my fingers decides to call it quits. Then I get behind the heated steering wheel of something like the XE S AWD and all my anger fades behind the plume of snow being thrown up by the tires. Sport sedans in the winter are amazing. I'm a big fan of the XE. Our old long-term diesel was a great little sedan, even if not everyone agreed with my sentiments. This platform is capable of so much more than the diesel can deliver. The XE S ditches that car's fuel-efficient-but-clattery oil burner for the sweet soundtrack of a supercharged V6, the same one that's under the hood of our current long-term F-Pace S. It's paired with ZF's ubiquitous eight-speed automatic and sends 380 horsepower to all four wheels. It feels damn near unstoppable in the snow. I'll be honest, I was flat-footing the car everywhere I went. I was searching for unplowed roads or empty parking lots because I just wanted to make the car dance. The all-wheel-drive system is rear biased, giving you enough of a leash to let loose without spinning out. The throttle response from the V6 was smooth and instant. It was easy to manage the car's angle just using the gas. The XE S was so good at clawing its way through the snow, I was convinced it was wearing winter rubber until I looked and saw a set of Pirelli all-seasons.