Jaguar has just released the XJ Sentinel fully armored vehicle, protecting its passengers up to B7 levels of ballistics. We don’t even know what B7 levels of ballistics are, but we’re guessing that’s pretty hardcore.

The Sentinel is based on the new XJ and is powered by the naturally aspirated 5.0L V8. But here come the real specs – the vehicle is reinforced by an armored inner cell made of Kevlar-backed high strength steel to repel gunfire and up to (drum roll please) 15kg of TNT explosives if they so happen to be detonated close to the car. Oh, and what about those pesky grenades? The Sentinel’s floor is reinforced to protect against those too.

Obviously the car is now much slower carrying all that excess weight which is interesting that Jaguar would compromise getting the hell out of danger faster for more protection. But hey, what do we know – we still think Skynet is quite a few years off and don’t see an immediate use for this.

Bentley has just released a video teasing the new Continental GT. Lately the British automaker has released numerous special edition models, but this will be an all-new second generation of what is easily the best selling Bentley of all time and a model that helped invigorate Bentley as a brand, attracting younger buyers.

There’s really not much to see in the video, but from what we can make out the new Conti GT will look almost identical to the old one – which is particularly sad that such an awesome luxury machine should continue to have such a bland look.

One item that our attention is drawn to in the video is a new high-tech looking Nav and infotainment system.

As for what’s under the hood, well, don’t be surprised to discover a modified version of the 6.0-liter W12 that powers the current Conti GT.

We should find out more at the upcoming Paris Auto Show.

See the video after the jump:

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Here’s a novel idea:  Seattle have started posting different speed limit signs along I-5 now, depending on traffic volume.

Dubbed the Smarter Highways project and brought to you by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), these new signs serve multi purposes: to relieve congestion; to indicate when motorists should merge; or when a lane is closed due to construction or an accident.

“This type of information helps prevent the panic braking that causes collisions,” said WSDOT Toll Division Director Craig Stone. “This section of I-5 has a collision every day on average and we expect Smarter Highways to help reduce that.”

These types of signs have made an appearance on interstates around the country, but Washington’s system has regulatory power. That means if you don’t follow the instructions on the sign, you’ll get pulled over.

The project has been going strong for a week and the WSDOT is calling it a success so far. After the system was activated on August 10, speed limits changed right away, telling motorists to slow down as they were reaching a patch of slower traffic.

Not long after, the signs displayed merge arrows to move traffic around a medical emergency. The WSDOT said, “traffic flowed past the incident without sudden braking, last-minute lane changes, stops and collisions.”

Have you come across these types of signal in your travels? Let us know what you think of them, regardless if you have or not.

[Source: Wired]

It sometimes makes you wonder about the kind of world we live in. Many people in the US are still in economy mode, yet if you’d been at Monterey this past weekend for the big collector car auctions, you’d think we’re in the midst of another boom. In particular, Gooding & Company had a banner weekend, generating $64 million from just 106 cars, though many were rare, true blue chip examples.

The highest priced sale of the weekend went to a 1959 Ferrari 250 Long Wheelbase California Spider, a Competizione racer that sold for a whopping $7, 260,000. Runner up at Gooding was a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza, which went for $6,710,00. To date that’s the highest single price ever paid for an Alfa at auction. Rounding off the high dollar triumvirate at Gooding’s Monterey event was another Ferrari 250, this time a 1961 Short wheelbase Berlinetta hot rod – the winning bid for that one was a substantial $6,105,000.

It was interesting to note that out of the 10 ten sellers at Gooding all them went for more than $1.6 million, including such cars as a 1928 Mercedes-Benz S26/180 boattail speedster ($3,740,00); a 1956 Maserati 200SI ($2,640,000) and a 1966 Ford GT40 ($1,650,000).

[Source: Gooding & Company]

Part of the job here at AutoGuide is scouring the Web for cool content that interests any car enthusiast. While we try our best to stay on top of the news, it’s always nice to check out various builder’s creations, especially those we’d have a hard chance catching in real life. While sorting through some of our favorite blogs, we ran across this Austin Healey Sprite that sports a Honda S2000 motor under the hood!

For those that don’t know much about Austin Healey’s Sprite, it was in production from 1958-1971 and was intended to be a low-cost vehicle, but now we just love them for being a classic roadster with a real clean, vintage design. But spotting one with a new-age Honda S2000 motor under the hood is simply awesome. Considering that over four generations of Sprite models, the most powerful engine ever offered was a 65-hp 1.3-liter 4-cylinder, the 237-hp Honda engine should make this British roadster really go!

Sure some Sprite owners will probably find it sacrilegious, but we’d be lying to say we wouldn’t mind having one of these in our own garage.

GALLERY: Honda S2000-Powered Austin Healey Sprite

[Source: Jason's Grain of Salt]

Got your hands on the beautiful and exotic Ferrari California? Finding it a little too mundane for your tastes now? Have no fear because Anderson Germany has released a styling and performance package for every avid California owner out there.

We’re really digging the demo car that they built showing off a fancy white and black theme. Plenty of carbon fiber is scattered throughout the exterior and can be seen on the hood, front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear bumper. The wheels feature a classy split-five spoke design in a 21-inch and 22-inch variety with a carbon fiber center. Lowering can be adjusted between 1.37-inch (35mm) lower to 1.57-inch (40mm) higher.

As for performance, Anderson Germany goes above and beyond Ferrari’s R&D to eke out another 55-hp taking the stock 453-hp to 508-hp. The 4.3L V8 produces more power thanks to Anderson Germany’s ECU retune and a valve-controlled stainless steel exhaust system. The exhaust offers three different modes conveniently controlled by a remote.

And if you’re still not content with the extra power and carbon, interior modifications are plentiful with carbon fiber trim throughout.

GALLERY: Anderson Germany Ferrari California

Official press release available after the break.

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Sometimes, things don’t always go as planned. And that’s exactly what happened to Ford. Due to a series of unforeseeable events that were out of Ford’s control, some customers will have to wait a little bit longer to get their new 2011 Fiesta sedans and hatchbacks.

You can hardly blame Ford for this – railroads were damaged by Hurricane Alex and Tropical Storm Bonnie that hit Northern Mexico hard earlier this summer. These railroads provide the shipments to the factory where Ford builds the Fiesta.

Because of this, it may take about two weeks for customers to receive their new 2011 Fiesta. For their trouble, Ford will be giving these customers a $50 MasterCard gift card. So, you can use the money to go to the mall and do a little shopping. But since you don’t have a car to get there just yet, you may have to take public transit.

Ford sales analyst George Pipas told Automotive News that Ford has “about 6,500 to 7,000 [Fiestas] in transit to dealers” and that the cars should start to be fully stocked within the next couple of months.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

Shown for the first time in North America over the weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we’re now learning more about Porsche‘s plans for the production version of it’s incredible 918 Spider.

First unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show, in concept form is uses a 500-hp 3.4-liter V8 racing engine combined with two electric motors that make an additional 218-hp. According to a report by AutoCar, the production model will make some significant powertrain changes. This isn’t surprising as obviously the car can’t use such a high-strung racing motor on the street. Instead, we’ll see a larger displacement motor (perhaps the 4.8-liter V8) with more power.

With high-performance hybrids still in their early stages, total power output will still be similar to the 718-hp number, but we’re likely to see more of that come from a conventional gasoline engine and less from electric motors.

[Source: AutoCar]

Luxury can also be safe. The latest vehicle to win an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award is the Cadillac SRX, a midsize luxury SUV. It earned the IIHS’s top safety designation after getting a good rating for rollover protection. The Cadillac SRX had previously earned good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection.

To earn a Top Safety Pick award, vehicles must earn the highest ratings in all four IIHS safety evaluations, as well as have electronic stability control (this comes standard on the SRX).

In order to evaluate rollover protection, the IIHS uses research of real-world crashes to conduct its roof strength test. To test for roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5-inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This test gives a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle’s weight.

The 2010 SRX withstood a force equal to 4.14 times weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

For the 2010 model year, General Motors strengthened the roof structure. The Top Safety Pick award applies to models built after May 2010.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Ford recently announced it would sell the new 5.0-liter V8 engine in the 2011 Mustang GT in crate form for do-it-yourself power freaks. Now, Ford Racing has upped the offering by putting the 2011 Shelby GT500‘s supercharged 5.4-liter on the list.

Making 550-hp and 6200 rpm and 510 ft-lbs of torque at 4,250 rpm, the 717-lb engine retails for a not-insignificant $20,999. That weight doesn’t sound like a little amount either, but it’s the biggest improvement to the 2011 GT500 engine, using an aluminum block and weighing far less than last year’s version.

Get more info at the link below:

[Source: FordRacing]

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Shelby GT500 Review by Clicking Here