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Jaguar may enter Formula E to advance electric portfolio

The FIA Formula E Championship looks poised to gain another major automaker. According to reports from the UK, Jaguar Land Rover is preparing to announce a new electric vehicle strategy this week. And that is tipped to include participation in the all-electric racing series. According to Sky News, Jaguar's electric racing program would give the British carmaker the opportunity to showcase its prowess in electric propulsion. Quoting an unnamed insider, the UK news service reported that Formula E "offers live testing for electrification technologies in areas such as batteries and drivetrains; that's why it looks valuable to them." The program would likely be launched in conjunction with Williams, the F1 team with which it partnered on development of the aborted C-X75 hybrid supercar project recently unearthed for a starring role in the latest James Bond film Spectre. Williams helped develop the battery system that powers the electric spec racer used in Formula E. The partnership could take over from the Trulli team that is expected to soon drop out of the series. JLR wouldn't be the first automaker to participate in electric racing. Audi supports the Abt team, Renault the e.Dams outfit, and PSA Peugeot Citroen's DS brand the Virgin Racing squad. Mercedes and Volvo have also been reported to be looking carefully at participation, while BMW provides support vehicles for the series. Jaguar participates in vintage racing and Land Rover runs the Bowler off-road racing series. However, the last time the company supported a top-level works racing program was between 2000 and 2004 when Jaguar Racing (the precursor to today's Red Bull team) competed in Formula One. It has since offered the XKR GT2 racer and has been rumored to be considering a return to sports car racing, but the trend towards electrification now appears to be driving the Formula E initiative instead. We're waiting to hear back on requests for comment from Jaguar. But Sky reports that an official announcement will be made on Tuesday, so watch this space. Related Video:

James Bond Spectre villain to drive never-was Jaguar C-X75 supercar

James Bond is used to being outgunned. Often working alone, 007 has developed a knack for taking out major criminal syndicates and terrorists despite this routine disadvantage. But in his latest film, Spectre, we suspect Mr. Bond will have met his match in at least one regard – the car being driven by his nemesis, Franz Oberhauser, played by Christoph Waltz. For the 24th Bond flick, Spectre, the chief baddie will reportedly be driving the oft-fancied Jaguar C-X75 Concept car, which will star opposite of the hero's new Aston Martin DB10. As you'll recall, Jaguar flirted with actually producing the C-X75 before calling it off just over two years ago. According to Autocar, which spoke to people involved in the film's production, Herr Oberhauser's C-X75 will be powered by Jaguar Land Rover's popular 5.0-liter, supercharged V8, rather than its original complex hybrid powertrain (which relied on four electric motors recharged by a pair of diesel-fueled micro gas turbines). Jaguar would not confirm its role in the upcoming film, although Autocar has pieced together a few powerful signs that the company will be donating the services of its concept to the new flick. First, supplying the villain's car for the latest Bond film fits in nicely with the company's "Good to be Bad" campaign, despite the fact that the villain, in this instance, is Austrian, rather than British. Moreover, Autocar points to Aston's use of the tagline "It's good to be Bond" since the reveal of the new DB10, as an indication that the Jag will be opposing its former corporate cousin in Spectre.

Jaguar F-Type Rally Car First Ride | This cat likes gravel

SOUTH WALES, U.K. — The invitation is last-minute and somewhat vague. The location, an off-road test area in South Wales known as Walter's Arena, sounds more Land Rover than Jaguar. It's also in five hours, and only a passenger seat tease is on offer. But a Jaguar rally car? Color me curious. First impressions don't disappoint. Basking at the entrance is NUB 120, so-named after its license plate and considered the most famous Jaguar XK120 of all. Built in 1950, it took three consecutive overall wins on the insanely arduous Alpine Rally. Driven by Jaguar dealer (and Olympic skier) Ian Appleyard and navigated by his wife Pat Lyons, daughter of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons, this car helped demonstrate the power and durability of the legendary XK engine in the toughest possible test. Carrying its original paint and a few battle scars, I could stop right here. But its presence is simply justification for what's lurking a little deeper in the forest. That being an F-Type rally car. Which is exactly as wild as it sounds. Based on a regular 2.0-liter F-Type Convertible, the project riffs on Jaguar's little-known rally heritage and pending MY20 updates to the F-Type range. The 16-inch rally wheels, gravel tires, custom fabricated roll cage and hood-mounted spots are not adornments destined for any production F-Type. That said, it's clearly been built to do more than sit on an auto show plinth. This initially seems like the sort of thing that'd be an after-hours project by Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations department, the same guys who cooked up the Project 7 F-Type and XE SV Project 8 sedan. But there's something about the Below Zero Ice Driving branding on the support truck that rings a bell. SVO supplied the graphics and items like the F-Type GT4 carbon fiber door cards, but it turns out the actual build was outsourced to a specialist outfit. Their expertise is turning sports cars into rally machines, this following the FIA's ongoing efforts to revive the sport's sideways, rear-wheel drive traditions. See the Toyota GT86 CS-R3 and initiatives like the R-GT Cup, the latter popular with privateers in converted 911 GT3s and inspiring Porsche's recent toe-in-the-water Cayman GT4 Clubsport rally car. Then it clicks — the crew are from Tuthill Porsche, a celebrated restoration and race shop between London and Birmingham with a huge presence in historic competition. They also have a sideline running Swedish ice driving experiences in old Porsches.