2000 Jaguar Vanden Plas 4.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar I-Pace sets Laguna Seca record, virtually matches Tesla Model S P100D

Jaguar has announced that the I-Pace crossover has set the Laguna Seca lap record for production electric vehicles. With racing driver Randy Pobst behind the wheel, the I-Pace HSE completed a lap in 1 minute and 48.18 seconds. Jaguar was adamant to stress that the record-setting vehicle was bone stock with "no modifications whatsoever." As Jalopnik reports, a bit of a dispute arose about the lap time, as a Tesla Model S P100D is said to have completed a lap in 1 minute, 47.62 seconds. However, the Tesla in question had received brake upgrades, unlike the factory specification Jaguar. The I-Pace's two electric motors are good for a combined 400 horsepower and 513 pound-feet, propelling the SUV to 62 mph in just 4.8 seconds. Jaguar has also released video footage from the Laguna Seca run, above. Look for the slide at the 30-second mark! Pobst must have been enjoying himself, as you can hear him guffawing after the famous Corkscrew section. While this record was all about the prowess of a production EV, there will be a racing series featuring the I-Pace, as the I-Pace eTrophy begins in the fifth season of ABB FIA Formula E. View 3 Photos Related Video:

Jaguar Land Rover considering Mexican plant

Jaguar Land Rover has been expanding its production out of the UK and into overseas markets, and according to the latest word from Bloomberg, the British automaker is considering spending more than half a billion dollars to build a new assembly plant somewhere in Mexico. Since the Range Rover Sport and Evoque are two of the company's top sellers in the US, those would reportedly be the most likely to be manufactured at the Mexican plant, although Jaguars could follow as well. The automaker was previously said to be leaning towards a location in the Southern US, and while it could conceivably proceed with plans for both, it would be more likely to go with one or the other. State and local authorities below the Mason-Dixon line have been soliciting the business with various incentives, but lower labor costs South of the Border could prove more attractive to JLR and its parent company Tata. It wouldn't be the first, after all. Over the past month alone, General Motors committed to building the next Chevy Cruze in Mexico, Toyota did the same with the Corolla, Hyundai was reported to be considering a similar step, and Ford announced two new plants in the country amounting to a $2.5-billion investment. Luxury automakers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes have also been delving into Mexican production as well, blazing a path that JLR could potentially follow. The British automaker recently opened a plant in China and another in Brazil, while investing in additional facilities in the UK as well.

Jaguar to go racing with F-Type GT3?

Most British automakers have some manner of racing program. Aston Martin, Lotus and McLaren race as a matter of course. Bentley recently got back into racing, Morgan has dabbled here and there, even Land Rover has its off-road racing programs. The only one, it seems, that isn't racing these days is Jaguar... but that could be about to change. The latest intel from the UK suggests that Jaguar is closely evaluating the prospect of building a GT3-spec racer based on the F-Type. Like the Bentley Continental GT3 co-developed with M-Sport (not to mention Coventry's own successful partnership with TWR), the Jaguar program would need an established racing outfit to help develop the car and field it, and the automaker is said to be evaluating three potential partners. The development of the GT3 racer would allow Jaguar to compete (or sell cars for others to compete) in a variety of racing series around the world, including the Blancpain Endurance Series, the European Le Mans Series and, if properly adapted, other series like the United SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jaguar's car would have to compete with such rivals as the Aston Martin Vantage GTE, Audi R8 LMS, Ferrari 458 GT, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R. Current FIA GT3 regulations use a Balance of Performance equation that allows for a curb weight between 1,200 and 1,300 kilograms (2,645 to 2,866 pounds) and produce between 500 and 600 horsepower. A more cost-effective GT4 racer could follow. But the best part is that Jaguar could, according to the report in Autocar, develop a road-going version as well, even more focused than the Project 7 pictured above and similar to what Bentley did with the Continental GT3-R. Jaguar of course has had a rich history with motor racing, reaching back to its dominance at Le Mans in the 1950s with the C-Type and D-Type, extending through the TWR partnership in touring car and endurance racing in the 1980s and 90s, to the short-lived Formula One team that became Red Bull Racing. It launched a GT2-spec XKR a few years ago and was tipped to be developing a new LMP1 prototype, but neither are on the track today, where Jaguars only compete in vintage racing. Featured Gallery Jaguar F-Type Project 7 View 29 Photos News Source: Autocar Motorsports Jaguar Racing Vehicles gt3