2008 Jaguar Xj on 2040-cars

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The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 looks like an XE, but is almost completely new

Jaguar's XE SV Project 8 is a thoroughly astonishing sports sedan. With a 592-horsepower V8, it's the most powerful Jaguar road car ever produced. And it's amazing to think that Jaguar's most powerful car is a version of its entry-level sedan. Or at least it looks that way. In reality, the majority of the body is completely unique to the Project 8. A Jaguar representative told us that only the roof and door skins are shared with the standard XE. The other 70 percent of the exterior is completely unique to the car. These changed body panels include wider fenders of course, and many of the pieces are made from carbon fiber rather than metal, but there are also some more unusual tweaks. For instance, the headlights actually had to be moved to a different position to make space for the Project 8's massive wheels and tires. The tires, for reference, are 265-mm wide at the front, and the rears are 305-mm wide. There were also some changes for style. The air vents at the front that consist of many small holes in the bumper are a tribute to Jaguars of the past. The hexagonal shape of the holes apes that of the vintage Jaguar logo, which featured the word Jaguar in an elongated hexagon. All in all, there's an impressive amount of new engineering that went into creating the Project 8. The results are, in a word, stunning. Related Video:

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.

Goodbye, Shelby GT350; hello, new Honda Ridgeline and Subaru BRZ | Autoblog Podcast #648

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week's news includes Subaru teasing the next-generation Subaru BRZ, the Jaguar XE departing and the XF getting an update, Honda unveiling the new Ridgeline pickup and the Acura NSX suffering from slow sales. This week they talk about driving two vehicles on opposite ends of the spectrum: the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the Volkswagen Atlas. Autoblog Podcast #648 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Subaru previews next-generation BRZ, announces fall 2020 unveiling date Jaguar XE axed from U.S. market: And then there was one sedan 2021 Jaguar XF gets new interior, down to four-cylinder engines and sedan body style 2021 Honda Ridgeline debuts, and it finally looks like a truck Acura NSX sales lagging Cars we're driving: 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Heritage Edition 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: