2003 Jaguar Xkr Base Convertible 2-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar Land Rover building new Special Vehicle Operations facility

It's only been a couple of months since Jaguar Land Rover announced the formation of its new Special Operations division, and we've already seen a number of vehicles to come out of it. But now the British automaker has announced a new facility that will house its elite skunkworks department.
Set to be built at Prologis Park in Ryton, England, on the outskirts of Coventry, the new Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre will encompass dedicated production lines, F1-style flexible workshops, a dedicated paint studio and VIP suite for commissioning bespoke projects. JLR will spend some $33 million on the facility that will be home to 150 specialists - 100 of them being new hires.
The first project which the Special Operations division is working on is the F-Type Project 7, but we've already seen more projects in the pipeline - including the upcoming Range Rover Sport SVR - and you can bet there'll be more. The revival of the Lightweight E-Type also falls under Special Operations, but is undertaken by the Jaguar Heritage department located nearby at Browns Lane.

The Jaguar XJR-15 is a 215 mph, barely-legal road car that's for sale

The late 1980s and early 1990s were awash with supercars from automakers across the globe. Classic Driver in the UK is selling one of the rarest of all of these supercars, the road-going racecar that is the Jaguar XJR-15. The XJR-15 is the lesser known sibling of the Jaguar XJ220. Only 27 were ever built. The XJ220 may not have received the same recognition and reverence as the Ferrari F40, the Porsche 959, and the McLaren F1, but for a time it held the record for the fastest road-going automobile, 217.1 mph. All of the XJ220's engineering and prowess is owed to the development of the XJR-15, which in turn owes everything to driver Tom Walkinshaw and his experience in touring and Le Mans racecars. Unlike the twin-turbocharged XJ220, the XJR-15 features a big, naturally-aspirated V12 that turned out 450 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque when new. The engine has a dry sump oil system, a Cosworth forged crankshaft, connecting rods, aluminum pistons, and fuel delivery from a Zytec electronically controlled sequential fuel injection system. The engine is mated to a five-speed transaxle from Tom Walkinshaw Racing, while the suspension - fabricated wishbones and horizontal pushrod-spring dampers at the front and coil springs at the rear - is pulled straight from the XJR-9 racecar. At the time, the car was capable of hitting 60 mph in under four seconds and topped out at 215 mph, just shy of the mark later set by the Jaguar XJ220. The XJR-15 was also the first road car to make extensive use of carbon fiber. In fact, at 2,315 lbs, the car's listed weight is less than that of a new ND Mazda Miata. The body was designed by future McLaren F1 engineer Peter Stevens. While the McLaren and Porsche were more complete and well rounded machines, the XJR-15 was a bare bones, uncompromised track machine. The interior was barely more than a carbon tub fitted with a pair of one-piece seats. The car in this listing is chassis number 21 and only has 1,400 miles on the odometer. Some minor modifications to the hinges allow the hood and engine cover to be quickly and easily opened. The car is listed for GBP450,000, or about $560,000. Not cheap, but what rare, early 1990s supercar is? Related Video: News Source: Classic Driver via Car Buzz Jaguar Coupe Performance ferrari f40 jaguar xj220

Jaguar Land Rover signs manufacturing contract with Magna Steyr

Jaguar Land Rover is in the midst of implementing big plans. Those include a raft of new models, and a series of new manufacturing facilities to build them. It seems, however, that the former is outpacing the latter, as the British automaker has just announced a new manufacturing contract to have some of its vehicles built off-site. The latest deal is with Magna Steyr, the contract manufacturer based in Graz, Austria. That could see a Land Rover produced at the same facility that has handled the Mercedes G-Class since 1979, or a Jaguar at the same place that assembled the Aston Martin Rapide until 2012 when production was moved back to the UK. The big question at this point is just what JLR will choose to have Magna build on its behalf. The British automaker isn't saying at this point, but a spokesman confirmed to Autoblog that it will be a future product – not an existing line moved from its current production site to the contract manufacturer, as Mercedes recently did with the R-Class. A timeline wasn't announced at this early stage, either, but we're told it will take about 24 months before new Jaguars or Land Rovers start rolling out of the plant in Austria. Just what those new vehicles will be remains to be seen, but Jaguar Land Rover has a number of new products on their way. It is expected to reveal in the near future a new Defender, a replacement for the current LR4/Discovery, the new Evoque convertible, a new XJ flagship sedan, and possibly a new coupe and convertible to take the place of the old XK. We'll soon see the new Jaguar F-Pace, which may be followed by additional crossovers as well. The company also recently introduced the new XE, XF, and Discovery Sport models, though given the timeframes, they'll almost certainly be produced at JLR's existing facilities. It recently opened its first overseas plant in China, has another one under construction in Brazil, and is also said to be considering a plant in North America on either side of the US-Mexican border. Jaguar Land Rover Signs Contract Manufacturing Agreement With Magna Steyr Whitley, UK - Jaguar Land Rover has agreed a manufacturing partnership with Magna Steyr, an operating unit of Magna International Inc, to build some future vehicles in Graz, Austria.