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Jay Leno's Garage drives Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS

Steve McQueen might be the coolest American male of the 20th century. With movies like Bullitt and Le Mans, McQueen established himself as the king of cool of his era, and on the list of actors you would pick for a fantasy racing team - he or Paul Newman are the natural first choices. The latest Jay Leno's Garage video highlights one of McQueen's most special cars - a 1956 Jaguar XKSS.
Just 16 XKSS models were made because a fire at the Jaguar factory halted production. It was meant to be a street version of the company's very successful D-Type racer, with a modified version of its 3.4-liter straight-six-engine and a four-speed manual gearbox. McQueen clearly had an eye for great vehicles. He drove his Jag around Los Angeles years after it was a cutting-edge piece of technology. Since then, it became part of the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA. Autoblog's The List even took a ride in it when the show visited the museum.
The XKSS is one of the pinnacles of automotive design of the '50s, and its association with McQueen makes this example even more extraordinary. Leno is in love with the car from the moment he sees it, and it's hard to argue with him. Between its emphasized curves and raspy exhaust, this is one sexy Jag. Scroll down to get an eyeful and earful from one of McQueen's favorite cars.

Jaguar woos Tesla owners with $3,000 I-Pace EV discount

In a bid to kick start sales of its I-Pace luxury electric vehicle, Jaguar has set its sights at an unlikely target: current Tesla owners. The automaker confirmed to Engadget that it's offering a select group of Tesla owners $3,000 off the price of its I-Pace EV. The offer is also available to anyone who lives in a Tesla-owning household. Those consumers can combine the company's "Tesla Conquest" incentive with a $5,000 dealer discount and $7,000 allowance credit to get $15,000 off the I-Pace. With all three discounts, the base model costs $54,500, instead of $69,500. To top it all off, you don't have to trade in your Tesla to take advantage of the promotion. Instead, all Jaguar is asking for is proof of ownership and or registration. The offer is available until September 30th, 2019. Additionally, you can't combine the zero percent financing option Jaguar has offered since the start of the year with the current Tesla credit. It's no surprise to see Jaguar offer a major discount on the I-Pace, though whether it makes sense for the company to target Tesla owners is a different question altogether. Despite excellent reviews, including one from Engadget's own Roberto Baldwin, the company has struggled to sell its first EV. According to InsideEVs, this past July the automaker sold approximately 217 I-Pace vehicles in the U.S. In other words, it's hard to sell a $70,000 EV in a world where a $36,600 Model 3 exists. And yet Jaguar shows no signs of giving up. In July, the automaker confirmed that its I-Pace team is building an electric version of its flagship XJ sedan. This story originally appeared on Engadget. Featured Gallery 2019 Jaguar I-Pace View 74 Photos Green Jaguar Tesla Car Buying Crossover Electric

Eagle Spyder GT is the roadster Jaguar E-Type of your dreams

Eagle, a British company that has specialized in restomodding classic Jags for over thirty years, has rolled out a new version of their modified E-Type called the Eagle Spyder GT. If you've heard of Eagle already, it's probably for its gorgeous Speedster. The company subsequently followed up with the fixed-roof Low Drag GT, inspired by the competition model Jaguar developed back in 1961 (and recently continued). The Spyder GT splits the difference, with a chopped and raked windscreen and a folding fabric roof mechanism. Like its stablemates, the Eagle Spyder GT wears bodywork painstakingly crafted entirely out of aluminum, with exquisite detailing. No wonder that, in reviewing it on Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson said, "I think this, by a long way, is the most beautiful car I have ever seen. It might actually be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." That's high praise indeed from a guy who's not known to shy away from speaking his mind. Unfortunately most of us will never find out, as Eagle only produces these special editions in very limited quantities and at very high cost. Each is custom-made to the owner's specifications, with the first example of the new Spyder GT to be delivered this summer. Related Video: X EAGLE E-TYPES ANNOUNCE THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME - THE EAGLE SPYDER GT In Brief: - Eagle announces the third in their trilogy of special edition Jaguar E-Types - the new Eagle Spyder GT. - The Spyder GT combines the style and dynamics of the celebrated Eagle Speedster with the high performance touring capability of the Eagle Low Drag GT- and incorporates a folding roof for practicality. - Completely bespoke with extensive customer options, the few produced will be the most exclusive hand built cars in the world. Eagle has focused for over thirty years to refine, develop and deliver exceptional engineering for the Jaguar E-Type while remaining true to the spirit of this extraordinary car. The Eagle E-Type has often been described as 'the finest hand-built car in the world' and the reaction of the world's press to the successive 'special edition' Jaguar E-Types developed in-house at Eagle has been rapturous. Leading the way was the Eagle Speedster, which was developed from a client request and then feted around the world.