For decades, the recipe for a supercar had always been about stuffing a fire-breathing V12 engine in the middle. Some super cars receive the occasional quad-turbo W16, V10, and supercharged or turbocharged v8, but these all build upon pretty much the same idea. What many car enthusiasts have actually been wondering ever since they witnessed the Batmobile for the first time is whether jet engines could be fitted into cars in real life.

Finally, Jaguar answers the question with not one, but two jet engines. The Jaguar C-X75 concept was first unveiled in 2010 at the Paris Auto Show, boasting a twin-turbine power plant tucked within a sleek shell reminiscent of the Jaguar XJ220. However, when Jaguar announced the C-X75 would make it to production last year, the twin-turbine was replaced with a more conservative hybrid drivetrain mated to a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Despite the fact that the power train will be co-developed with Williams F1, the C-X75 isn’t the same without rockets.

Now, Jaguar has revealed that while 250 examples of the C-X75 will be powered by the hybrid turbo-4, an extremely limited quantity of C-X75 supercars will receive the micro-turbines as envisioned from the original concept. These jet engines are produced by the Bladon Jets Engineering Centre in Coventry, which is based very close to Jaguar’s headquarters and is even partially owned by parent company Tata.

Driving the rear wheels, the turbines are expected to produce an extra 95-hp each. Requiring no cooling or lubricant systems like a traditional internal combustion engine, the micro-turbines are also light and easy to package.

While exact numbers are unknown, the C-X75 is expected to meet all supercar requirements, including acceleration to 60 mph in 3 seconds and a top speed exceeding 200 mph.

GALLERY: Jaguar C-X75

[Source: Auto Express]

Ever since British automaker Jaguar started closing its historic Browns Lane facility piece-by-piece after moving its production elsewhere, many wondered what would happen to its Heritage Museum that is one of the remaining parts of the old factory.

Well, now we know as Classic & Sports Cars out in England is reporting that Jaguar will be closing its factory museum next September, with no plans of relocating it or reopening it in the near future. The good news coming out of all of this is that Jaguar has no plans of auctioning or selling off any of the 150 cars stored in the museum, and continues to plan on bringing certain cars out to motorsports events. For now though – or at least starting in September – no one will be able to see the collection as a whole.

A Jaguar XFR-S is likely to be on the way soon, spurred by competition from the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG which seriously outgun the British super-sedan.

The current XFR (pictured above) uses a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 to make 510 horsepower which falls about 40 ponies short of both sedans it directly competes with. While that’s a significant difference, it’s probably important to take a step back and realize that none of the numbers in this story are to be taken lightly.

Despite that, Jaguar will have to do something soon if they want to remain competitive. We don’t have concrete specifications on the XFR-S at the moment, but it was spotted running the Nürburgring last summer.

We expect it to pack at least 550 horsepower to stay on par, along with standard performance upgrades like a stiffer chassis and suspension. Of course, the price will increase as well, which we’ll report as soon as details break.

GALLERY: 2011 Jaguar XFR

[Source: AutoCar]

The Jaguar XJ220 is a rare collector’s item on its own, having only produced 350 units. But few are aware that Jaguar had produced a XJ220S variant with Tom Walkinshaw Racing in order to homologate their XJ220C race cars for competition. Only six XJ220S were ever created, and one of them is now heading to RM Auctions.

Powered by a 3.5L, twin-turbo V6 engine, this Jaguar XJ220S is estimated to have around 700-hp (has 680-hp stock) and is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. RM Auctions believes that this super-rare Jag will fetch anywhere from $225,000 to $300,000 and we wouldn’t doubt it for a minute.

The vehicle recently had a major mechanical overhaul and restoration, painstakingly repainted to match Lamborghini‘s Reventon Gray. Inside, the leather interior was completely refurbished and Infiniti projector headlights were also installed to help modernize the 1993 vehicle. Since the early 2000s, the owner has only added about 1,200-miles to the odometer, and just a few miles since everything was rebuilt and refinished.

The XJ220S weighs in at a scant 2,200-lbs thanks to an excessive use of carbon fiber for its bodywork – only the doors remain aluminum.

If you’ve been sitting on quite the savings account over your life and have really been searching for something rare, this may be the time to splurge.

GALLERY: Jaguar XJ220S Coupe

Jaguar announced today that it has issued a recall on its 2012 XF.

The recall is expected to affect only 51 units that were built from September 7th, 2011 through November 24th, 2011. The issue is an improper GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) sticker that was placed on these vehicles. Customers may unknowingly exceed the GVWR because of this sticker which can lead to loss of vehicle stability, increasing the risk of a collision.

The recall is set to begin on January 23rd, 2012. For more information you can contact Jaguar at 1-800-452-4827 or visit the NHTSA website.

News that Jaguar and Land Rover won’t exhibit at this year’s North American International Auto Show can be taken as a sign of the diminished importance the Detroit show now plays on the global stage.

There’s more to this story, however, as the reason the two luxury brands will be absent is due to a conflicting schedule with the Auto Expo show in New Delhi, India. While India’s importance as an emerging market can’t be downplayed, the decision has less to do with growing economies and more to do with the fact that JLR parent company Tata Motors, is from India.

In addition, JLR has little new to show a western audience, having already revealed the Jaguar C-X16 and Land Rover DC100 concepts, first at the Frankfurt Motor Show and then at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

JLR has confirmed that executives will still be cruising the show floor. After all, the Range Rover Evoque is on the shortlist for the 2012 Truck of the Year.

[Source: AutoNews]

See AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Detroit Auto Show Preview here

With Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi offering wagon versions of their E-Class, 5-Series and A6 mid-luxury sedans, Jaguar is prepping a wagon version of its XF sedan, and like modern Jaguar‘s, it will take a slightly different approach to the traditional luxury formula.

In the UK, a “Shooting Brake” denotes a sports car converted into a wagon-like vehicle. Some were converted solely to meet the whims of wealthy owners, while others were used to hold hunting gear and other sporting equipment, giving the owner the best of both worlds. The XF Sportbrake will likely take after this tradition, placing an emphasis on style rather than practicality (in the same way that the 5-Series and A6 do, rather than the E-Class with its focus on cargo capacity).

A full engine lineup, ranging from the XF’s ultra-efficient 2.2L diesel engine, up to the 5.0L V8, should be available.  The XF will also get Jaguar’s upcoming AWD system, but what you won’t see is a Sportbrake sold in America.

Gallery: Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Tata Sons has named Cyrus Mistry as its next CEO, as current CEO Ratan Tata prepares to retire. The unmarried, childless Tata named Mistry as CEO of the holding company responsible for Tata’s numerous divisions, among them their automotive sector which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, along with the namesake Tata Motors brand.

“The appointment of Cyrus P. Mistry as deputy chairman of Tata Sons is a good and far-sighted choice. He has been on the board of Tata Sons since August 2006 and I have been impressed with the quality and caliber of his participation, his astute observations and his humility,” said Tata, in a statement.

Mistry’s father is Tata’s largest individual shareholder, with an 18 percent stake in the Indian conglomerate. He is currently head of another Indian corporation, the Shapoorji Pallonji group, and will assume full responsibilities in December, 2012 when Tata steps down.

[Source: Automotive News]

Jaguar‘s design genius and restless thinker, Ian Callum, has announced a personal desire to design a premium small car for the historically British marque.

During an interview, Ian Callum told British automotive publication, What Car?, “It’s a personal view, but there’s room for a premium small car. It would be a high-end small car for city use. The big challenges would be economic and creating a business case for it, along with making a small car feel like a Jaguar and having the right levels of refinement and luxury.”

Keeping an open mind, Callum did not confirm whether the city car would be executed as a hatchback, coupe, or small saloon but intends to design a model that will “break the mould and be a car that people just want.”

That’s better than what rival brand and fellow countryman, Aston Martin, can say. There are few people that just want a Cygnet.

[Source: WhatCar?]

Some used to say that Southern California was just about the only place in the world where it was truly practical to drive a British sports car.

Lack of rain meant Lord Lucas, the celebrated “Prince of Darkness” (an ailment related to the Lucas-brand electrical systems used on British cars) rarely struck, while the temperate climate almost never required the services of near useless heaters and leaky convertible tops. Additionally, dry conditions and twisty canyon  roads just begged for a bit of enthusiastic motoring,  an aspect, which when working well, such machines as Jaguar XK-Es and Austin-Healeys were able to deliver in spades.

Today, British sports cars tend to be a lot more reliable and leak free, as well as considerably faster and even better handling than those machines of yore. Nonetheless, So Cal is still considered to be their spiritual home. As a result, if a company like Jaguar is going to unveil a car with a ridiculous beast of an engine and a convertible top, it makes sense to do it at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

As Jaguar’s global brand director, Adrian Hallmark stated, the XKR-S convertible sacrifices none of the performance of its coupe counterpart and indeed, development mules spent hours and hours being flogged around the Nürburgring. Having sampled the regular XKR ragtop and the XKR-S coupe, we can only wonder the sensation 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque can do in an open top car that boasts a rigid, lightweight aluminum architecture, retuned suspension and steering, plus an upgraded Adaptive Dynamics system compared with the standard R.

Jag claims the flagship XKR-S convertible can sprint from rest to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and will go on to  an (electronically limited) top speed of 186 mph. That makes it the fastest open top Jaguar ever built and also one of the most exclusive (Jaguar has said it plans to allocate just 25 examples to the US market for 2012). So if you want one as desperately as we do, better try and get your order in as soon as possible (the coupe version is already sold out).

Besides the ragtop XKR-S, Jaguar also chose Los Angeles as the North American debut for the C-X16 concept, which has been making waves since first being revealed back at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Whether or more likely when, a version of this two-seat gas electric hybrid stunner will reach production still remains to be seen, though we probably shouldn’t rule out the possibility of examples sitting in Jaguar showrooms before the second half of this decade begins.

Gallery: Jaguar XKR-S Convertible

Gallery: Jaguar C-X16 Concept

The all new Jaguar XKR-S Convertible is now official, boasting a supercharged 5.0L V8 engine that is also found in the XKR-S Coupe. With 542-hp, this makes it Jaguar’s most powerful open-top model yet and also rounds off the XK-line with a convertible variant for every model.

Performance numbers for this convertible are impressive, with a 0-60 mph time of just 4.2-seconds and a top speed of 186-mph. And despite packing over 100-lbs more than the Coupe model, the performance figures are identical. Lowering the roof takes a mere 18-seconds after a push of a button and to ensure stability at its top speed, Jaguar’s engineers added some aerodynamic upgrades over the XKR Convertible, giving it a more aggressive look as well.

The XKR-S Convertible sits 0.4-inch lower, while the new front bumper sports a wider air intake and a carbon fiber splitter. New side skirts flow towards the rear where a new rear wing can be found sporting a carbon fiber center. All of the aerodynamic changes equate to a 26-percent improvement to downforce.

And to give it a classier appearance, the chrome trim was swapped out for gloss black painted pieces, while the 20-inch Vulcan wheels are standard along with the brake calipers done in a bright red or more subtle gunmetallic grey. The suspension is also upgraded from the XKR Convertible, with stiffer springs and Active Damping software in order to maximize body control and grip. The front features massive 15-inch rotors with the rear barely smaller at 14.8-inch. The result is 38-percent more stopping power than the XKR counterpart.

GALLERY: Jaguar XKR-S Convertible

Jaguar will officially unveil the XKR-S Convertible today at the LA Auto Show. For a full preview of the show and complete coverage, click here.

Say the word Jaguar, and probably the first thing to come to mind won’t be fuel efficiency.

Jaguar recently took a road trip from New York to Los Angeles in a British spec XF 2.2 Diesel, and covered the 2884-miles journey at an average of 62.9-mpg. This makes it the most efficient Jaguar ever made.

The car Jaguar used was a showroom stock model and was not modified in any way. The trip took 8 days to complete, while the car made just 4 fuel stops.

The XF diesel achieved its best result on the penultimate day of the trek, achieving 67-mpg. That is incredible for a five-seater luxury sedan of any size, even if the trek was done at an average speed of just 53-mph. Jaguar credits its new 8-speed automatic gearbox and revised aerodynamics, which is available on all the 2012 XF models.