The fifteen finalists in the Silverstone Classic’s, “Best British Sports Car of All Time” vote-in have been announced, and boy is there some choice picks. Before we get to that though, can I just point out a misnomer in using the, “of All Time” qualifier? This assumes (prophetically?) that Britain will not be making any more sports cars in the future, whereas, “Best British Sports Car So Far” would be a far more accurate description. But enough with semantics: who are our lucky finalists?
With the E-Type of 1961, Jaguar was back in a big way. Essentially a spiritual successor to the legendary XK120 of the 1940s and ‘50s, the E-Type had everything going for it: looks, performance and price. Since then, much has changed for the brand. The malaise of the 1970s, the reliability woes of the ‘80s and the reheated design language of the ‘90s all placed a burden on the Big Cat.Then, at the 2000 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Jaguar unveiled the F-Type Concept to the world. And by God was it a stunner. The lines were simple yet provocative; the interior refreshingly Spartan and functional for a concept car.
Swayed by recent media reports from Britain, Carscoop reader L il-k Amaru returned to his virtual drawing board and photoshoped a convertible version of the hardcore Jaguar XKR-S, which was unwrapped in coupe format at the 2011 Geneva Salon this past March. If the rumors about the XKR-S Convertible turn out to be true, expect the open top model to feature the same styling and performance modifications as the coupe.
It’s not every day that you get to see a Jaguar E-Type on the road let alone 50 well kept and restored examples of what many regard as the most beautiful car ever made. And that’s exactly what happened today when a fleet of 50 privately owned Jaguar E-types in both coupe and roadster formats travelled in convoy through the streets of London on their way to the 2011 Motorexpo in Canary Wharf marking the sports car’s 50th birthday.
Gone are the times when you knew where cars were made just by looking at the brand, and when luxury carmakers made the manufacturing of their vehicles in their home country one of their top selling points. Nowadays, you have BMWs built in China, India, South Africa and the USA, Mercedes-Benz cars made in Russia, Thailand and Egypt and so on.
The latest premium automaker to go global is the Jaguar-Land Rover group, which inaugurated its first Indian factory on Friday. A Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV was the first vehicle to roll out of the assembly plant, which is located just outside Pune in the Maharashtra region of India. We’ll remind you that Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008 after losing some US$15 billion in two years.
Eagle is a British restoration specialist that dedicates its activity exclusively to the Jaguar E-Type. As the iconic sports car celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2011, Eagle has thought of a very special way to celebrate the occasion: the one of a kind Eagle Speedster, a roadster models that combines the beauty of the classic E-Type with the company's technical expertise and craftsmanship.
The car was commissioned by U.S. collector Rick Velaj, who wanted something "a bit special". Eagle designer Paul Brace penned a sketch, Velaj loved it and the rest came naturally. Everything on the E-Type Speedster is custom made. Like the 1960's Jaguar E-Type, Eagle's car sports classic finishing, with every detail being designed and customized, from the unique shape of the all-aluminum body, adapted from an original body by RS Panels, right through to the custom made windshield glass.
If you are a car guy like Mark Sawatsky of Winnipeg, Canada, and you happen to have a Jaguar 5.3-liter V12 and an old 1967 MGB GT lying around in your garage, it doesn’t take too long to come up with an impressive project. For Mark it was the creation of racecar to compete in the modified class of the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America).
The super rich automotive collectors of this world will soon have one more choice to add to their list as today, Jaguar officially confirmed the limited production of its flashing C-X75 hypercar that drew much attention at last year’s Paris Motor Show. To be developed in cooperation with Williams F1, the C-X75 will make use of hybrid powertrain with Jaguar aiming to have the car on sale in 2013. The British maker said only 250 examples will be built, each costing between £700,000 - £900,000, or US$1.16 million to US$1.44 million at today’s exchange rates, depending on market and local taxes.
To have it in the market within a considerable timeframe, Jaguar will replace the jet-powered setup of the original concept with a more conventional, yet still innovative for today’s standards, powertrain comprising of a state-of-the-art, small-capacity, highly-boosted internal combustion engine with one powerful electric motor at each axle offering all-wheel drive capability.