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Road & Track names its 2013 Performance Car of the Year

Road & Track recently staged its first annual Performance Car of the Year test, pitting 13 new and updated performance cars against each other on track, then graduating the top six to a road test before picking a winner. Additionally, the magazine staff picked the best automobiles of the year in eight categories.
But first, let's cover the PCotY segment. Here's the list of cars brought to the comparison test: Audi R8 V10 Plus; BMW 435i; BMW M6 Competition Package; Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51; Ferrari F12 Berlinetta; Ford Fiesta ST; Jaguar F-Type V8 S; Jaguar XFR-S; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model Wagon; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series; Mini John Cooper Works GP; Nissan GT-R Track Edition; and Porsche Cayman S.
To find out the results of the comparison, head over to Road & Track's website or check the press release below, where you'll also find the magazine's top-rated vehicles in eight categories. Want more? Head over to the 2013 PCotY hub. But before you do that, take a stab at guessing the winner of PCotY (we'll give you one hint: it isn't a Porsche).

Jaguar explains the perfect driver seating position

Although the shapes of car seats are one-size-fits-all, manufacturers have created numerous ways to customize how seats are positioned in efforts to cater to the multiple sizes of drivers. Whereas old vehicles only had the options of reclining and sliding forward or backward, new cars have seats that move up, down, forward, backward, and just about any other direction. In a new video, Jaguar demonstrates exactly how to use these features to find the perfect seating position. The advice comes from Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover's chief medical officer. Many people only think of seating position as a means to comfort, but when dealing with posture, it can affect a person's health. Iley's first tip is to empty out your pockets, thus avoiding any impingements. That includes anything from wallets to keys to cellphones to stowed-away snacks. Before putting a seatbelt on, the driver should then make sure his or her butt is all the way to the rear of the seat and that the entire back is touching the seat. Next are the seat adjustments. Iley suggests moving the back of the seat until the driver's spine and pelvis are aligned and straight. Note in this position the driver's thighs should be resting on the seats without any pressure points. Following this step, check the distance and position of the feet relative to the pedals. Jaguar says in the correct position, the leg should still be slightly bent when a pedal is fully pressed. The driver's elbows should be in a similar slightly bent position. With both hands on the wheel, make sure the arms aren't straight and have a slight kink at the elbow. In an ideal position, the driver's shoulders should remain in contact with the seat even during turning. Last, the headrest should be aligned with the top of the head. Not mentioned in Jaguar's advice is that NHTSA urges you to sit at least 10 inches from the steering wheel — as far back as you can while still comfortably reaching the pedals and wheel — in order to minimize the potential for serious injuries from airbag deployment, and the old 10-and-2 hand position is discouraged for the same reasons. Hands at 3 and 9 or at 4 and 8 are the new norm. AAA demonstrates in the video below. If any part of this doesn't make sense, you're in luck. Both videos are helpful. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Jaguar XJ-S Convertible

The Jaguar XJ-S sold for big money, cost big money to keep running, and depreciated hard once its edges got a bit rough. You'll still find examples of the XJ-S in the big American self-service yards nowadays, but this '90 is the first convertible I have found in many years. 4,715 1990 XJ-Ss were sold in the United States; I haven't been able to find a reliable figure for the number of convertibles, but it must have been small. That makes today's Junkyard Gem a real rarity— not as hard to find as a Ford Tempo All-Wheel-Drive, of course, but still a prize. Jaguar kept the 5.3-liter V12 in production from 1971 through 1992, and when it was running properly — which wasn't as often as XJ-S owners wished— it couldn't be beaten for smoothness. By 1990, Jaguar had switched from fuel injection by The Prince of Darkness to a system made by Magneti Marelli. This one is quite rough, and it shows signs of having been parked outdoors with the top down for a few years. Since you can buy nice examples for well under ten grand, restoring this one would have been a money-losing proposition. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Some of you may remember a cameo by a similar XJ-S convertible in the film The Big Lebowski. In it, Bunny Lebowski reveals that none of her toes have been cut off by kidnappers; some suspension of disbelief is required here, because Americans couldn't buy the '90 XJ-S with a manual transmission. Maybe it's a gray-market six-cylinder car. The price tag on a new 1990 XJ-S convertible was a stunning $57,000, which comes to about $113,000 in inflation-adjusted 2018 dollars. Still, BMW shoppers had to pay $70,000 for a new 750iL that year, and that V12-powered machine didn't even have a convertible top. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Here is V12 power wrapped in soft leather. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1990 Jaguar XJ-S Convertible View 22 Photos Auto News Jaguar Automotive History