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Jaguar likely moving HQ to Britain's most iconic racetrack

Jaguar Land Rover looks increasingly likely to make Britain's iconic Silverstone race track the automaker's new headquarters. There isn't a final deal in place yet, but the British Racing Drivers' Club, which owns the circuit, plans to have the membership vote on whether the negotiations should move forward, according to Autosport. BRDC leaders already presented the plan to members, and they were open to the idea. "The response was favorable so we will now set up an EGM for the members to vote and give the board a mandate to proceed with the deal and continue with the negotiations with JLR," BRDC president Derek Warwick told Autosport. There's no guarantee yet that JLR actually completes the deal. "There's still a lot of work to do to get the deal to where both sides are happy and more importantly what's right for the BRDC and its members." Warwick said. Rumors in early December suggested JLR was among the firms submitting bids to purchase the track, and the automaker allegedly offered 22.7 million pounds ($34.1 million at the time) for it. The company would also reportedly invest nearly $80 million to renovate the site, including adding a museum, experience center, hotel, and offices. The track would still be open for motorsport, too. Silverstone has hosted the Formula One British Grand Prix many times over the decades, and organizers signed a 17-year deal in 2009 to keep things that way well into the future. Series like the FIA World Endurance Championship, MotoGP, and British Touring Car Championship also compete there. Related Video:

Jaguar XJS gets resto-mod treatment from England-based TWR

From the Volvo P1800 to the Porsche 928, the resto-modding trend has propelled numerous classics into the 21st century. Born-again English firm TWR rummaged through its own backyard to jump on the bandwagon: it unveiled an updated version of the Jaguar XJS. Known as the Supercat, the resto-modded XJS shares little more than a silhouette and a few basic styling cues with the coupe that inspired it. It's more muscular-looking thanks to a body kit that adds a front splitter, Group B-esque wheel arch flares, a rear spoiler and a massive diffuser integrated into the rear bumper. It gets modern-looking LED lights on both ends, and it rides on center-locking wheels. TWR notes that the body panels are made out of carbon fiber to keep weight in check. Interior pictures haven't been released, though we're told nearly every part of the car will be highly customizable, and we'll need to be patient to find out precisely what's under the hood. To whet our appetite, TWR mentioned a V12 engine supercharged to 600 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission. All told, it has taken the company more than two years to reach this stage, including intensive real-world testing. TWR notes that the Supercat will make its dynamic debut during the summer of 2024 (our money is on the Goodwood Festival of Speed). If you want one, act fast: production is limited to 88 units globally and pricing starts at GBP225,000 excluding taxes, which represents about $281,500 at the current conversion rate. Dollars matter here: unlike some resto-mods, the Supercat was developed with our market in mind. If the XJS isn't your thing, TWR stresses it has additional resto-modded projects in the pipeline. It hasn't revealed what's next, however. Jaguar XJS View 6 Photos The donor car Released as the XJS for 1976 as a replacement for the E-Type, the two-door Jaguar (shown above) was offered in numerous configurations during a production run that lasted well beyond even the company's expectations; it remained part of the range until 1996. It was offered with a straight-six, a V12, a stick, an automatic, as a coupe, and as a convertible, and it received numerous updates inside and out to remain relatively fresh. Related Video:

Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy: New EV, new series — Jaguar's going racing

Luxury carmaker Jaguar is teasing the 2018 launch of a five-seat electric sports car based on its I-Pace concept as its first battery-electric vehicle. The Indian-owned automaker released images of the sports car as part of its announcement that it will launch the world's first international production EV race series in 2018. A performance SUV version of the I-Pace, previously reported and presumably based on a concept revealed late last year, is also planned for late 2018. Jaguar has said it plans to electrify all new models after 2020, part of a wave of similar announcements as governments in England, China and elsewhere have announced plans to eventually ban the sale of gasoline or diesel cars. In its announcement, Jaguar said only that the race series would "support the launch" of the I-Pace five-seater. View 7 Photos At the Los Angeles auto show last year, Jaguar said its concept I-Pace crossover SUV would have a 220-mile range from its 90-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, designed and engineered entirely in-house. The Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy series is a support series for the FIA Formula E championship and will exclusively feature up to 20 all-electric Jaguar I-Pace racecars across 10 races in cities including Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paolo and New York. The racecars will be built at the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations in Warwickshire, England. "With the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, we have strengthened our commitment to battery electric vehicles, international motorsport and Formula E," Gerd Mauser, chairman of Jaguar Racing, said in a statement. "As a British team, we are proud to announce today the launch of the world's first production battery electric vehicle championship." He added: "Ultimately this innovative series will enhance the technology in our future electric vehicles and benefit our customers." Jaguar says it will release technical specifications, race calendar and costs for the I-Pace eTrophy in 2018. Related Video: Green Frankfurt Motor Show Jaguar Electric Racing Vehicles Performance Sedan Frankfurt 2017 jaguar i-pace