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Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations could build standalone models

Jaguar Land Rover may be set to turn its Special Vehicle Operations division into something much bigger than a mere in-house tuner. Bloomberg spoke to the head of JLR's high-performance, customization outfit, John Edwards, who hinted that his team may move beyond simply modifying F-Types, Range Rovers and the like. "We're certainly looking at that, and we've got the capability to do that," Edwards told AN. "Is there an opportunity for us to do a completely standalone car? Maybe." Such a move into full-scale, standalone models would be a big step, particularly for a division that's still kind of in its infancy. Bloomberg references the success of Mercedes-AMG, but the German division has had the benefit of decades of growth. AMG spent years and years building high-performance versions of all manner of mainstream Mercedes vehicles, before moving onto cars like the SLS AMG and AMG GT, which have no mainstream analog. In other words, AMG had a long time to develop a reputation building high-performance vehicles that people know and recognize before it moved into building vehicles of its own. We aren't entirely convinced that SpecOps wouldn't benefit from taking a similar approach, delivering additional SVR vehicles, like the rumored XE SVR, before striking out on its own. We'd like to know what you think, though. Is it already time for Special Vehicle Operations to build standalone models, or should it learn to walk before it runs by modifying more of Jaguar Land Rover's existing product. Have your say in Comments. Related Video:

V12-powered Jaguar E-Type Series 3 the restomod treatment from UK firm

As Jaguar tries to figure out its future, a growing number of aftermarket companies are reinventing its past. British restoration shop E-Type UK is the latest company to announce a restomod program for the popular sports car released in 1961. It's working with later Series 3 models, which is a little unusual, and it leaves no part untouched. E-Type UK starts every Unleashed project with a donor car; it doesn't build an E-Type from scratch. After strengthening the basic platform, it bores out the V12's cylinders to increase its displacement to 6.1 liters, 800 cubic centimeters more than stock. Additional modifications, like an electronic fuel-injection system and a free-flowing exhaust system, boost the engine's output to 400 horsepower, and a five-speed manual transmission sends the cavalry to the rear wheels. Four-piston front brake calipers ensure the Unleashed stops as well as it goes. With the engine finished and tuned, E-Type UK turns its attention to the chassis. It fits the E-Type with technology the original model could only dream of, like fully adjustable shock absorbers. Wire wheels are standard equipment, they fit the car's sleek profile well, but their diameter increases slightly to 16 inches to clear the bigger brakes. Designers restyled the bumpers, the grille, and the exterior emblems, though the changes are relatively subtle, and they added LED headlights to give the E-Type the visibility of a modern car. Inside, the only limit is the thickness of the buyer's wallet. Anything is possible; the options include different types of leather upholstery and various trim options. Heated seats, LED lighting, a push-button ignition, Bluetooth connectivity, and a surround-sound system are among the equipment added by E-Type UK to encourage future owners to drive their Unleashed often. All told, each build requires at least 4,000 hours of labor, which partially explains why pricing starts at GBP325,000 (around $447,600 at the current conversion rate) before the cost of a donor car enters the equation. For context, that money could buy you two examples of the Lamborghini Huracan Evo and a garage to keep them in, a small plane, or 447 examples of your favorite $1,000 econobox. And yet, we doubt E-Type UK will have a difficult time finding clients. Restomods are a big trend in the industry, some are even Volvo-based, and they're never cheap. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Jaguar XJ facelift suggests that if it ain't broke...

Jaguar is preparing what looks to be a very modest upgrade for its long-serving XJ, now heading into its fifth year in production. The fullsize luxury sedan's changes are so limited it seems like a stretch to even refer to these changes as a proper update. New front and rear lights represent the big changes, although the XJ's front grille looks to get a tiny bit of tweaking. Beyond that, though, we can't see too much changing for Jag's flagship luxury car. That said, there could be some tweaks below the sheetmetal and within the cabin that these images don't really show. Take a look at our gallery of spy photos, at the top of the page, and let us know what you think Jag is up to with this particular XJ.