Jaguar Straightline Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

September 22, 2008

Jaguar C-XE sports car rumors are running rampant

Rumors that Jaguar may finally offer a true successor to the XK-E are spreading all over the Net. If true, this is great news, as there hasn't been a Jag since the original E-type that has lit a fire in my belly. And that's a long, long time folks!

Every Jaguar with any sort of sporting pretensions since the mid-60s was clearly aimed at the GT crowd, and not at those 10W-30 running through their veins. So word that a 2-seat lightweight sports car may once again return to the big-cat brand, and one that can run with Porsche, etc., is indeed something to look forward to.

The car is internally known as the C-XE, but that could change once the car is shown to the public. However, the name C-XE has been registered with the UK Intellectual Property office. Word has it that the latest version is based on a shortened XJ platform, and that both naturally aspirated and supercharged V8 engines are being looked at.

Full story here.

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Posted by: Bob Holland September 22, 2008, 4:00 AM
Categories: Jaguar, Sports Cars

August 23, 2008

CARNIVAL OF CARS: A Drive Around the Auto Blog Block for Saturday, August 23, 2008

Mazda looks like the big winner in The Truth About Cars' 2008 edition of the 10 Best Cars. I have to admit that I am a bit surprised that the Chevy Malibu isn't among the winners. Sometimes good news travels slowly.

Meanwhile over at the GM corral, the across-the-board budget cuts are slicing deeply into the advertising budget just when, according to AUTOEXTREMIST Peter DeLorenzo, highly targeted, big-block events are becoming hyper-important to the task of focusing public attention on the fact that GM is turning out some genuinely great models.

On the other hand, Corvette Blog has another reason to be thankful you live in America, even if, like yours truly, you really can't afford a new Vette.

You may have heard that Tony Stewart has a new race team set to go for the 2009 NASCAR season, with Ryan Newman on the driver roster. But will Newman be chauffeuring the #4, no, the #39 car? FastMachines.com has the inside dope on the numbers circus.

Street Skating, it's the newest deadly craze involving wheels and people with sub-rational IQs. 4 Drivers Only has the video and more details. Coming soon to the obituary page in a newspaper on a newstand close to you.

Peering past The View Through the Windshield, Joe Sherlock spies the new Lincoln MKS and comes away repeating something about "luxiocrity." He'll explain what that means just as soon as you click on over.

Want to stumble upon something really good automotive-wise? Hemmings Auto Blog is raving about a feature that makes getting lots of traffic for your blog "ridiculously easy."

And from the video file comes this: What do you think went through the mind of the guy driving the semi featured by The Auto Prophet?

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is among the lucky few selected by Honda for an extended test drive of the Clarity fuel cell vehicle. Cool huh. Lori Hindman at Mother Proof isn't so sure.

Dorri at if It's Got An Engine is going all copy editorish on Car & Driver's Csaba Csere.

Uh oh, big trouble in Smart-land. Next Auto says bad paint could require a roof-ectomy. If that's even half as painful as it sounds .....

Jag XF cropped.jpg

WHAT I'M DRIVING THIS WEEK: Jaguar XF
Remember the first time you saw a Jag XKE in person? If you're like me, it was memorable because of the sheer sensuality of its shape. "That's what speed looks Iike," I recall thinking to myself. There are hints of such beauty here and there in the new XF's attractive lines, and it certainly has an abundance of speed, thanks to the 420 horses on tap from the supercharged 4.2 liter V-8.

But all during my week in a lovely silver XF something kept bugging me. No matter how pleasurable was the daily drive between my home in distant rural Maryland and the Examiner newsroom in downtown D.C. the car just didn't feel right. At one point, I thought I had it - Where's that cursed L-shaped shift pattern that plagued Jags for so many years? Wait a minute, you doofus, you cursed those things all those years, right?

Well, it hit me yesterday - The shifter is a darn rotary dial in the center console that could easily be mistaken for that infernal BMW iDrive. That's it, this Jag is so advanced, so stuffed full of techno-geegaws that there's no room left for genuine soul, for the uncompromising beauty of lusciously curved sheet metal and tearing-sheet sixes at full song. The XF is a Jag the way BMW would do it if the Germans owned the Brit classic. BMW makes great Bimmers, but Jags are supposed to be ... Jags.

See ya next week!

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Posted by: Mark Tapscott August 23, 2008, 6:19 AM
Categories: Carnival of Cars, Jaguar

July 7, 2008

Bell Aurens Longnose Land Rover "off-roadster"

Gotta love those wacky Brits! Oh wait... this wacky off-roadster wasn't created by wacky Brits, but rather by two wacky Germans who love classic wacky British vehicles!

The idea behind the Bell Aurens Longnose Land Rover "off-roadster" was to combine two icons of the British auto industry, that being the classic Land Rover, with that of the powerful, long-hooded sports cars (think Jag XK120, Aston Martin, etc.) into one vehicle. What a wacky idea! ...And oh so British, even if it was done by Germans. Have to wonder though if these guys aren't really just closet Jeepster fans?

What you see here is a computer-generated image, but this sucker is scheduled for production! Pricing is expected to be over €100,000 with each vehicle custom built to order. Suppliers so far include Land Rover tuning company JE Engineering who will supply 4.6 and 5.0 Liter Rover V8 engines, which includes stage 3 tuning and a special SU carburator set up. And Delta4x4, the German wheel manufacturer will supply a special set of Loder wheels. There will also be a V12 option, hence the ultra-long hood. More details are to come later.

Full story here.

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Posted by: Bob Holland July 7, 2008, 4:00 AM
Categories: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, SUVs, Sports Cars

July 1, 2008

Is a Volvo sale next?

Now that the Land Rover/Jaguar sale to Tata is complete, might Ford be considering selling Volvo?

Ford has long denied that Volvo would be sold, however, Just-Auto.com is now reporting that just such a sale may indeed be in the works; if not in the works, at least is being comtemplated. If it happens, it would be much more difficult considering so that many Ford products are tied to Volvo platforms and vice-versa.

Full story here...

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