2007 Jaguar Xk on 2040-cars

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Jaguar Land Rover backs Arc startup that sells $100,000 electric motorcycles

Before it even put its first motorcycle on the road, new startup Arc reeled in a major player to back its ambitious product plan. In conjunction with the reveal of the fully electric Vector superbike at the Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori ( EICMA) show in Milan, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced it is placing capital in Arc, using JLR's investment company InMotion Ventures. Arc claims the Vector is the first all-electric motorcycle with integrated Human Machine Interface (HMI) to come to market. Arc, not to be confused with Keanu Reeve's Arch motorcycle company, has a pretty typical mission statement: "To use progressive design and technology to transform people's relationship with an automative experience. For us, for you, for our planet." At the core, Arc wants to make connected, clean, exclusive superbikes, and the Vector is its first try. Although Arc didn't get into the nitty gritty details about the make-up of the bike, it did give some surface specs and information. The bike's structure is built using a carbon composite to create a "unique Arc battery monocoque." Weight is also kept low using carbon fiber swing arms. There is no mention of the size or type of electric powertrain, but Arc claims it will have a highway range of about 120 miles or a city range of 170 miles on a single charge. Arc says it will be able to sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph. Stopping power comes from a Brembo brake system, while ride and handling relies on Ohlins dampers. The launch does not stop at the motorcycle, but includes gear, as well. The Vector links up with a jacket and a helmet for a fully connected experience. Partnering with U.K.-based impact protection design company Knox, Arc created the Arc Pilot System. Using audio, the armored Origin riding jacket provides haptic feedback based on numerous riding inputs to help keep the driver safe and aware. Furthermore, Arc linked up with luxury helmet maker Hedon to build the WiFi-connected Zenith helmet that houses an integrated projection heads-up display. In addition to showing things such as speed or battery life of the bike, the helmet uses a built-in rear camera to display other vehicles in the rider's blind spots. The rider can command the system using controls on the bike or via voice commands.

Junkyard Gem: 1995 Jaguar XJR

It's not too difficult to find discarded examples of the supercharged-V8-powered Jaguar XJR of the X308 generation, but the earlier X300-based XJR with its blown straight-six is a much more elusive Junkyard Gem. Here's one that just turned up in a Denver self-service knacker's yard. For many years, the Denver Pick Your Part was a funky, muddy operation on an industrial stretch of Federal Boulevard. I bought a lot of parts for various projects and documented dozens of discarded vehicles for this series there. On April first, LKQ moved that operation to a brand-new location a half-mile away and I showed up early to experience the grand opening. I'll miss the old Denver Pick Your Part, even with the treacherous footing, but sometimes even junkyards get junked. The new location is set in a vast asphalt parking lot, which should make it easier for shoppers to get around and extract parts. One of the employees drives this seriously cool Scion xB project, so that's a good sign. As I walked the rows, this two-tone Jag caught my attention immediately. What's going on here? The VIN says it's a genuine XJR, complete with supercharged 4.0-liter straight-six rated at 322 horsepower and 378 pound-feet. That beat the 313-horse V12 in the XJ12 that sat next to it in the showrooms. The supercharger is a member of the same Eaton family that was used in the Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe. This makes sense, because Ford had purchased Jaguar in 1989. The U.S.-market X306 XJR was available only with an automatic transmission; a few hundred with five-speed manuals were sold in Europe. The version we got here was good for 14.9-second quarter-mile times and ran 0-60 in 6.6 seconds— not bad for a car that scaled in at 4,215 pounds. The MSRP was a cool $65,000, or about $134,206 in 2024 dollars. The 1995 XJ12 listed at $77,250, which comes to $159,499 after inflation. This generation of XJR was sold here for just the 1995 through 1997 model years, after which it was replaced by the V8 XJR. Just 6,547 were built. This one received a heavy customization at some point, including big SUPERCHARGED badging. The bonnet is covered with faux carbon fiber, which was all the rage during the early Fast & Furious Era. The upholstery has been redone in well-executed two-tone embroidered leather. I knew there had to be some traces of this car online. Sure enough, Mecum auctioned it in Denver back in the summer of 2015.

Jaguar celebrates 60 years of the E-Type with six pairs of restomod cars

Jaguar is celebrating 60 years of the E-Type — which was known as the XK-E in the United States — by giving 12 cars a full in-house restoration that includes a handful of 21st-century updates. Sold exclusively in pairs, the six coupes and six convertibles are inspired by the cars shown in Geneva during the model's introduction in 1961. Developed to replace the XK150, the E-Type was presented to the public and the press on March 15, 1961, at the Geneva auto show. Two examples made the trek from England to Switzerland: a gray coupe wearing registration number 9600 HP and driven by publicist Bob Perry, and a green roadster registered 77 RW put in the hands of official Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis. Both cars were driven to the event; the coupe arrived in Switzerland minutes before it was scheduled to make its debut, and the roadster was rushed to Geneva the following day. Jaguar chose not to re-release either car. Instead, it will paint the six coupes in a special shade called Flat-Out Grey, and it will give the six convertibles a coat of Drop Everything Green. It pointed out that both colors were created specifically for the 60 Edition models, and that neither will be used on another car. Edition-specific emblems created by Jaguar's design department appear on the hood and on the fuel cap, among other parts. Jaguar E-Type 60 Edition View 11 Photos Sitting in the cabin is like traveling to the 1960s. The driver faces a wood-rimmed steering wheel with drilled spokes (and a non-original 24-carat gold horn button), analog gauges, and an array of switches on the dashboard. Coupes receive Smooth Black leather upholstery, while convertibles get Suede Green leather. Don't look for power windows or automatic headlights. You'll need to manually roll down the windows and turn on the headlights. There's tech if you look, however. Jaguar concealed a modern infotainment system with satellite navigation and Bluetooth connectivity, for example. While that's available on any of the resto-modded E-Types the firm builds, the 60 Edition cars stand out from with an engraving of the route from Jaguar's headquarters in Coventry to Geneva, Switzerland, on the center console. It's created by hand in 100 hours by Johnny Dowell, who also goes by the name King Nerd. On the coupe, the engraving reads "I thought you'd never get here," words spoken to Perry by Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons after he arrived in Geneva.