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Junkyard Gem: 2005 Jaguar X-TYPE 3.0

During the Premier Automotive Group phase of Ford's ownership of Jaguar, it seemed to make sense to create a Jaguar that non-oligarchs could afford. By taking the Ford Mondeo (sold as the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique on our shores) and adding luxury touches plus Jaguar styling, the X-TYPE came into being and hit American showrooms starting in the 2002 model year. Fast-forward a decade or two and it's no sweat to find entry-level European luxury sedans lined up in your local Ewe Pullet. Here's a decal-enhanced '05 X-TYPE 3.0 AWD I found in a yard near Pikes Peak a couple of months back. This car shows signs of having been loved dearly by its final owner. Since the paint is Topaz Metallic, which is sort of a gold shade, its name became Goldie. Goldie was sweet, it would seem. Perhaps the dripping-blood decal indicates that Goldie's sweetness was alloyed with cruelty. Paw-print, bloody-claw-mark, and Jaguar stickers abound. Goldie has eyes both at the top of the windshield and on the front bumper. Her headlights appear to leak blood. Those who might criticize these customization touches come face-to-face with this message at the windshield's lower edge. How would such a treasured machine end up in a place like this? As we see here, at some point Goldie got hit hard in the right rear, and the crash damage was too severe to be worth fixing. I hope everyone involved was wearing their seat belts. The interior looks to have been pretty nice before junkyard shoppers began prying off trim parts. Someone bought the stick-on hood scoop and the "Leaper" hood ornament. You can't have too many JAGUAR emblems! This is the newest junked Jaguar I've documented; the oldest was a 1969 XJ6. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Sometimes the best part of giving is the thank-you you'll receive.

Rising aluminum costs cut into Ford's profit

When Ford reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to fret that rising metals costs have cut into profits, even as rivals say they have the problem under control. Aluminum prices have risen 20 percent in the last year and nearly 11 percent since Dec. 11. Steel prices have risen just over 9 percent in the last year. Ford uses more aluminum in its vehicles than its rivals. Aluminum is lighter but far more expensive than steel, closing at $2,229 per tonne on Tuesday. U.S. steel futures closed at $677 per ton (0.91 metric tonnes). Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is weighing whether to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which could push prices even higher. Ford gave a disappointing earnings estimate for 2017 and 2018 last week, saying the higher costs for steel, aluminum and other metals, as well as currency volatility, could cost the company $1.6 billion in 2018. Ford shares took a dive after the announcement. Ford Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks told analysts at a conference in Detroit last week that while the company benefited from low commodity prices in 2016, rising steel prices were now the main cause of higher costs, followed by aluminum. Shanks said the automaker at times relies on foreign currencies as a "natural hedge" for some commodities but those are now going in the opposite direction, so they are not working. A Ford spokesman added that the automaker also uses a mix of contracts, hedges and indexed buying. Industry analysts point to the spike in aluminum versus steel prices as a plausible reason for Ford's problems, especially since it uses far more of the expensive metal than other major automakers. "When you look at Ford in the context of the other automakers, aluminum drives a lot of their volume and I think that is the cause" of their rising costs, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at auto consultancy LMC Automotive. Other major automakers say rising commodity costs are not much of a problem. At last week's Detroit auto show, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne reiterated its earnings guidance for 2018 and held forth on a number of topics, but did not mention metals prices. General Motors Co gave a well-received profit outlook last week and did not mention the subject. "We view changes in raw material costs as something that is manageable," a GM spokesman said in an email.

2013 Jaguar XFR-S

Why Ask Questions When You Already Know The Answer?
"Is it fast?"
We get that question a lot. Several times a month, in fact, and it comes from every corner of our lives - friends, family, complete strangers and even colleagues from time to time. And it's an understandable query. After all, speed, either in a straight line or around a twisty bit of tarmac, is a universally accepted line of demarcation between the typical family sedan and something much more fun and therefore desirable.