1998 Jaguar Xk8 Coupe Pre-owned One Owner Clean on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar's electric speedboat smashes decade-old record

We knew Jaguars prowl on dry land, but apparently they dabble with water, too. Jaguar teamed up with powerboat racing specialist Vector and Williams Advanced Engineering to beat the existing British and world records for fastest battery-powered boat with some expertise from Jaguar's Formula E team. The team had to top 76.8 mph, a record set in 2008 by Helen Loney in her Firefly electric hydroplane with Agni motors. The attempt was made in the same location, Coniston Water in the English Lake District, where speedboat record runs have been made since the days of Sir Malcolm Campbell as early as the 1930s, and son Sir Donald Campbell into the 1950s and 1960s – including the fateful record attempt that cost the younger Campbell his life in 1967. The company's documented the attempt in the video shown above. It reveals that the 2008 record wasn't easy to beat. At first, pilot and Jaguar Vector co-founder Peter Dredge managed to get the boat to 76.6 mph – annoyingly close to, and just under, the record. But a later run rewarded the team's efforts, with a clear improvement of nearly 12 mph, making the new record 88.61 miles per hour. This achievement is also impressive considering that Jaguar and Vector only announced their partnership in October 2017, so progress has been swift. The tech in the boat is reportedly derived from Formula E technology, though Jaguar Vector and Williams Advanced Engineering have not disclosed the boat's exact specifications nor what parts are based on Jaguar Formula E car parts. Related Video: Green Jaguar Electric Racing Vehicles Videos williams advanced engineering

Jaguar Land Rover to drop supercharged V8 for turbocharged BMW power

There are few things that sound as good as Jaguar's 5.0 liter supercharged V8. As great as it is when the supercharger whines or the exhaust cracks and pops on throttle lift-off as the air pressure equalizes, the basic design dates back to the '90s. Plainly, the engine isn't as efficient as it needs to be, but designing a new V8 from the ground up is an expensive proposition. Instead, Automobile reports that Jaguar Land Rover is set to use a twin-turbocharged V8s supplied by BMW. Scalable architecture is all the rage as automakers streamline designs in order to save costs. For example, Jaguar's current supercharged V6 is quite literally a V8 with two holes missing. They didn't even change the length of the block. It seems both of those designs are on their way out, with the V6 being replaced by a inline-six closely related to the company's inline four. It seems that rather than designing an new and expensive V8 for their top of the line models JLR, is sourcing from BMW. From 1994 to 2000, BMW owned Land Rover. A few models, including the Land Rover Range Rover, used BMW engines then and in the initial years of Ford's JLR stewardship. It seems things have now come full circle. BMW currently makes a twin-turbo 4.4 liter V8 that produces anywhere from 440 to 600 horsepower, depending on the application. Automobile says that a new 4.0 liter V8 is in the works and that it will most likely be the engine that JLR uses. Expect it to be more powerful, more fuel efficient, and lighter than what both BMW and JLR currently offer. This seems like a win for both companies. BMW gets to offset the cost of a new motor while JLR, a smaller company, doesn't have to invest in a whole new architecture. As automakers search for ways to cut costs, expect collaborations like this to continue. Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz both share a four-cylinder engine. Ford and GM have worked together to design a shared 10-speed automatic. While we may lament the loss of that wonderful Jaguar Land Rover engine, we can still be happy that they haven't abandoned the V8. Related Video: News Source: Automobile Rumormill BMW Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar I-Pace gets discreet nip-and-tuck in global markets

Jaguar has given the I-Pace, its first series-produced electric model, a round of minor visual and packaging updates. The crossover gets a nip-and-tucked front end, additional paint options, and in some markets a restructured trim level hierarchy, among other small changes. The biggest design update is positioned front and center — literally. The new-look I-Pace receives a smooth insert that replaces the grille-like trim fitted to the outgoing model. It's finished in Atlas Gray, and this color also appears on the trim pieces positioned on either end of the lower part of the front bumper. Jaguar also fitted a black and silver emblem to the front end, and it changed the color of some exterior trim pieces from black to gray. The company explains that it made those changes to simplify the I-Pace's design while reducing visual mass. Most of the remaining design changes are subtle: Every I-Pace trim level now comes standard with diamond-turned wheels, and some variants get a Black Pack that adds gloss black exterior trim. Finally, Eiger Gray and Carpathian Gray join the palette of available colors. We're still waiting for the hot-rodded I-Pace that Jaguar alluded to in 2019. In the meantime, the global range includes three trim levels called R-Dynamic S, R-Dynamic SE, and R-Dynamic HSE, respectively. Buyers in England can also select a range-topping model called 400 Sport. It doesn't sound like Jaguar made major drivetrain changes. Power comes from a pair of electric motors (one per axle) that zap the four wheels with 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque. Jaguar quotes a 4.5-second sprint from zero to 60 mph, and the 90-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack holds enough electricity to deliver up to 246 miles of range with 20-inch wheels, or 217 miles with 22-inch wheels. Jaguar hasn't announced the aforementioned changes for the American market yet; as of writing, they apply exclusively to models sold on the European market. We've reached out to the company for additional details, and we'll update this story if we learn more. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.