2004 Jaguar Xjr Supercharged Sedan 4-door 4.2l V8 Dohc Fi on 2040-cars

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Jaguar considers BMW X1 fighter

It's no secret that the sub-compact crossover is the next big thing in the auto industry. From the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, and Jeep Renegade to the Mercedes-Benz GLA, Audi Q3, and BMW X1, automakers the world over are pushing hard to get a piece of this brand-new pie. Autocar is reporting that Jaguar could soon join the ranks of them. While the manufacturer is hard at work on the new F-Pace, this new CUV would slot in below and could even be priced under the new entry level XE sedan. "A family [of CUVs] is not confirmed but we are investigating it," Steven de Ploey, Jaguar's brand director, told Autocar. "If we want to grow, a compact model is the obvious opportunity. The arguments about this are twofold. It has to be a Jaguar in design and performance, and it would be a challenge to do this. The second is the business, both in terms of scale and competition." While the brand may be toying around with the idea of a compact CUV, de Ploey points out that there are a number of issues preventing a vehicle below the F-Pace. "You'd not just be competing with premium brands but high-end mainstream manufacturers, too. There are lots of other things we have to do before this, but we have opportunities and permission to play there," de Ploey said. "There is also a cost challenge. We'd need a different architecture. What we have is scalable, but that low? You'd really have to investigate taking it down. You need to tick the box with the business case." Related Video:

Lister LFT-C brings 666 horsepower to the Jaguar F-Type

Lister just announced a limited run of its LFT-C Jaguar F-Type conversion cars. It made 99 of the coupes in this spec, but now there will be 10 convertibles available for purchase worldwide. The LFT-C name further confuses Lister's naming for this car, which was initially known as the Thunder, then morphed into the LFT-666, and now these new convertibles are called LFT-C. We would've just stuck with Thunder all along and called this one a Thunder convertible. It makes the same 666 horsepower as the Lister F-Types before it, but that's still substantially more than the 575 horsepower out of the F-Type SVR. Lister does a lot of its own work to the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 to eke out the extra horsepower on top of what Jag is able to do with its performance division at the factory. The nice part of this aftermarket work is that it still comes with a seven-year warranty from Lister, so it's similar to a new car powertrain warranty. This should give you some peace of mind when dashing to 62 mph in just over three seconds. Related: Lister Knobbly roadster gets green light for production There's more than just engine work done to the LFT-C, though. Lister has designed its own suspension, exhaust, braking system and wheels to bring the rest of the car up to snuff. Carbon fiber body panels replace everything from Jaguar where possible. Other Lister design touches on the exterior include a new front bumper, front splitter, rear diffuser, rear spoiler, rear wheel arches, a new grille design and lightweight alloy wheels fitted with Michelin tires. Lister is differentiating this 10-car run by adding in a unique interior, but customers can request anything they desire on the customization front. With so few cars available, it's unlikely to see one on this side of the world after being manufactured in the U.K. That said, we asked Lister, and they said you can buy one here. Base price for the LFT-C is a cool $182,995, and that's only where it starts. We're sure customization options will allow it to skyrocket from there. The price for a base F-Type SVR Convertible is $127,725, so you're looking at a hefty premium over the donor car for what Lister has to offer. The LFT-C is available to order now.

Jay Leno's Garage features funnyman's 1963 Jaguar E-Type

Jay Leno looks inward on this episode of his eponymous garage, checking out a 1963 Jaguar XKE that he bought earlier this year. It is an example of his favorite kind of car, that being original and unrestored. He bought the E-Type from its first owner, a woman who purchased it new, held on to it for 50 years and took excellent care of it. Having never been in an accident, Leno says even the paint is 85- to 90-percent original.
In the video, the XKE sits in front of two heavily modded XK120s and another '63 XKE, but Leno said all he's done - and all he plans to do - is clean it up and put on a modern set of wire wheels for safety.
He's not on any junket and there are no guests, it's just a guy talking about an object dear to his heart. If you need a refresher on the excellent genes of the new F-Type, check out the video below.