2011 Jaguar Xj 4dr Sdn on 2040-cars

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Jaguar testing facelifted XJ in UK

Europe's flagship luxury sedans don't go through their lifecycles quite as quickly as other models need to, but with the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class hitting the road, Jaguar must feel it's time for a little update for its XJ sedan. And as these spy shots demonstrate, that's just what it has in store.
Falling firmly in the subtle-facelift category (as opposed to the full refresh), the placement of the camouflage on this new XJ appears to be hiding new fascias front and rear. Reshaped bumpers, trunk lid, grille and air apertures seem to be part of the impending facelift, but for better or worse, those black rear pillars seem to be staying put.
While Jaguar's at it, we can expect some updates to the cabin as well, with upgraded infotainment, ambient lighting and such. But don't go expecting anything radical at this stage. The XJ has been on the market for about four years, and it'll be another few before it demands a complete overhaul.

Jaguar's XFR-S Sportbrake looks to be one hot kinschlepper

This is the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake, which is too cool for North American sale (the Sportbrake, not the XFR-S sedan, which we're getting soon). Like the XFR-S four-door, it has a 5.0-liter, supercharged V8 pumping out around 550 horsepower.
Our spy photographer's x-ray vision is saying that a ZF eight-speed automatic will be the gearbox of choice for the XFR-S wagon, which fits with the sedan, as well. The Sportbrake also has the usual high-performance touches, with huge air intakes in the front fascia, big wheels wrapped in low-profile tires, a dropped suspension and a rear end that's wearing a diffuser and a pair of meaty, quad exhausts. We're happy to see that the XFR-S Sedan's rear spoiler - or some iteration thereof - isn't here to mangle the Sportbrake's beautiful shape.
Where the this super-fast hauler will debut remains a question. There's virtually zero chance of it arriving at an American auto show (although we do endorse that, and any other decision that brings this wagon to our shores), which likely means it'll be in Europe. The Frankfurt Motor Show and Geneva Motor Show seem like the leading contenders, but we'll just have to wait and see.

1965 Jaguar Series 1 E-Type Roadster shows what Classic Works can do

You might have heard that England's Queen Elizabeth recently celebrated 70 years with a four-day Jubilee throughout London. You might also have heard about the Platinum Jubilee Pageant that stretched nearly two miles long, featuring thousands of performers and a whole lot of cars. More than a dozen of the vehicular contingent came from Jaguar alone; the brand has a long history with the royal family, Jaguar Land Rover being one of four automakers possessing a Royal Warrant to provide motorcars to the queen. And Jaguar wanted to highlight this participant among its phalanx, a 1965 Series 1 E-Type Roadster restored by Jaguar Classic Works.  It doesn't have any connection to the queen, but billed as a showcase of "the full capabilities of Jaguar Classic and ability to comprehensively update E-types," it could be taken as a small indicator of how much more the automaker could do for monarchs. A private customer went to Jaguar Classic Works with a request for an E-Type built the year he was born, the final product to be "relied upon for daily driving and be comfortable on Grand Tours while remaining authentic to the original."  First, fixers fanned out, locating an example built two days after the new owner was born. Its pathetic condition posed no problem for the restorers in Coventry, who didn't leave anything alone during the 12-month build. Going by the before picture, technicians started by swapping the original left-hand drive for right-hand drive. They bored the original 4.2-liter engine to 4.7 liters and undisclosed power, "optimised for road driving." The mill's output is sent through a sport manifold and exhaust and a custom five-speed manual transmission. The gearbox is an in-house Classic Works production originally created for the E-Type 60 Edition that delivers "a smoother, quieter and more refined driving experience." Wider wheels and tires, and more powerful brakes, are bolted to an upgraded suspension.  The cabin and sheetmetal received attention worthy of the mechanicals. The exterior is drenched in a custom blue based on the Union Jack that took months to perfect; in-the-metal pictures at Coventry Live show just how lustrous the paintwork is. The red interior recalls the red of British pillar boxes, their term for mailboxes.