Back in 2009, Jaguar North America launched its first Performance R Driving Academy as  a complimentary course designed to help owners of XFR and XKR models to explore the limits of their cars in a controlled environment.

Key features of the program included acceleration and launch exercises, cornering and braking exercises, stability control off driving, as well as autocross, slalom and track sessions.

Now, the company is “enhancing” the program by offering an additional course that supplements the base program. It’s a pay-it-yourself advanced package that caters to owners of XFR, XKR and XJ Super Sports models and includes sessions on threshold braking, high speed cornering, as well as high-speed oval driving, skidpad driving, low-speed handling and on-track lapping sessions.

Jaguar will offers the Performance Driving program in four select U.S. locations this year: Lakeville, Con., Las Vegas, Miami and Fort Worth, Texas. For further details, click here.

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With just over 500 hp on tap in the latest Nurburgring taxi, the Jaguar XJ Supersport feeds thrill-seekers adrenaline through a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine.

As the latest automaker to offer such a service, Jaguar decided to send the XJ Supersport, with Sport and Speed Pack options, to offer passengers a chance to feel the “Green Hell” as it’s meant to be experienced: with a wide open throttle.

Previously, we brought you a story about BMW offering the M5 in a similar capacity, but now Jaguar is copying the idea. While the XJ won’t be able to compete with the BMW’s 560 hp, the ride might feel a bit more thrilling because of it’s all-aluminum chassis. It’s likely to be more comfortable too.

When it was first released, auto pundits praised the XJ for its surprisingly nimble handling which is a direct result of the chassis design.

“Of these models, we found it’s the XJ Supersport that most often surprises journalists with its speed simply because they perceive it to be a large luxury car. The XJ is both those things, of course, but its aluminium architecture means it’s rigid and lightweight too, which make it a very good car on track. To underline that fact, our engineering team created this special Nürburgring taxi version in which our trained drivers can safely take passengers on very hot laps,” Jaguar Land Rover exec Frank Klaas said.

The April 2012 sales numbers were released today, and Chrysler and Toyota have the most to rejoice over, while Ford and General Motors need to do a little bit of catching up. 

Before you read the numbers, you must know that the sales numbers from this April are a little misleading, as last April there were three more recorded selling days than this April. That means when a manufacturer reports an increase or decrease, they are comparing two sales numbers that had different amounts of time to build up.

Chrysler recorded a 20 percent increase in sales this April over last, and had the best April to date since 2008, but the growth this month is actually slightly smaller than the growth seen last month. The company, as well as the whole industry, saw demand for light vehicles and cars increase as well, much more than the need for SUVs and trucks.

The Volkswagen Group saw a 27 percent increase in sales over last April, and had the largest gains out of any other major volume selling automaker.

Toyota was the most successful Japanese company this April compared to last, with an increase of 12 percent, while Korean rivals Hyundai and Kia only clocked a sales growth of one percent, the first time in 20 months that the sales gain for these two companies wasn’t in the double digits. That being said, April 2012 was a record month in volume for both Kia and Hyundai, but though they are growing, the companies sales might be slowly plateauing. Nissan saw a zero percent increase, with sales staying flat in the market this April over last.

Luxury cars did well last month, with Jaguar-Land Rover up three percent, Porsche up eight percent, Mercedes up 27 percent, and BMW up 12 percent compared to April, 2011.

General Motors saw a decline of eight percent, while Ford sales dropped five percent. This was the largest decline for both automakers since 2010.

In summary, Chrysler is doing the best out of the big three American companies,  Toyota is coming out ahead of its Japanese rivals and Korean counterparts, and the Volkswagen Group is making big gains in the American market, all at the expense of Ford, GM and Hyundai-Kia.

Overall, light vehicle sales rose two percent last month, as consumers are moving away from trucks and SUVs, and focusing on buying small fuel efficient cars that make sense in today’s economic climate.

Departing from the decreasingly voluminous engine trend that is presently plaguing or progressing the auto industry, depending on your perspective, it seems Jaguar will offer a 5.0-liter  V8 in its F-Type. 

GALLERY: Jaguar F-Type roadster

Previous we reported that the automaker would offer its newest addition with both a supercharged 2.0-liter inline four and 3.0-liter V6 featuring the same brando f forced induction. The smaller version would produce 240 hp while the supercharged V6 would make 380.

Refusing to leave well-enough alone, someone at Jaguar told Inside Line that a 5.0-liter V8 will also be shoehorned under the hood, though details beyond that don’t seem to be available.

Should it make an appearance, it will likely be the same powerplant found in the XK, capable of 550 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque. While 550 hp isn’t staggering compared to cars like the 2013 Shelby GT500 which makes a confirmed 662 hp for around $50,000, the F-Type will be no American muscle car.

Don’t forget that Ford didn’t engineer its bulky beast to run with a four-banger. Jaguar did. That probably means driving a V8-powered F-Type will be more akin to a a “Monster Miata,” powered by a 5.0-liter Mustang V8 than a similarly-equipped muscle car.

[Source: Inside Line]

Simon Butler, affectionately known as the “Racing Reverend” as well as the Associate Rector of Ashtead Parish of Surrey, England, started racing in karting leagues at an early age. “I think I’m the only Anglican clergyman who has ever driven a modern Formula 1 car, but this will be my first experience in the historics,” Butler admits. “The C-type is owned by one of my parishioners, Tony Allen, and he invited me to share the car with Jonathon Crouch for the full series of Woodcote Trophy races.”

The backstory behind the 1952 C-type is perhaps even more interesting. Painted in a French racing blue, chassis number XKC 016 was originally supplied to a French Jaguar importer. When it competed in the Mille Miglia in 1953, a brutal crash killed driver Pierre Gilbert Ugnon and seriously injured team-mate Luc Descollanges.

According to Butler, the damaged C-type was then left abandoned in a yard for almost 20 years before it was painstakingly restored, piece-by-piece, in the 1970s. Since then, it has enjoyed many years of racing.

Known for its fast and fiercely competitive nature, the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy poses a true challenge for the Reverend. Addressing his level of confidence, Butler said, “Historic cars have no brakes! Seriously, though, I’ve really enjoyed the transition to historics, so much so that I might not go back. With a historic car, you need to keep it moving around a lot; there’s still a lot of precision needed, but it’s a different sort of precision.”

The first Woodcote Trophy race will be held at Donington Historic Festival from May 5-6. Races to follow include the Brands Hatch GP circuit, the Silverstone Classic, as well as the Spa Six-Hours Meeting in September.

Donington will be a home race for Reverend Simon Butler, as his previous parish is just 15 miles from the circuit, at West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire.

Following the industry trend toward smaller, more efficient engines, Jaguar just announced its plan to offer two new engines, one of which will make its way into the new F-Type roadster. 

A 3.0-liter supercharged V6 will sit under the F-Type’s hood to produce 380 hp. Using the same aluminum architecture currently found in the brand’s V8 engines, the company said the new V6 will perform comparably to its naturally aspirated V8 brother. Spray-guided direct injection will also help to keep power delivery smooth.

Even with its high output, the engine is expected to manage reasonable fuel economy thanks to an eight-speed automatic transmission, which will feature wide-spread gear ratios to give the F-Type a long-legged driving feel. That fuel economy will be further aided by a high compression ratio and start/stop technology that uses a twin solenoid starter capable of starting the car faster than the driver can move from the brake to gas pedal.

The second engine being introduced is a 2.0-liter supercharged inline four cylinder that follows the V6 with the same aluminum construction and eight-speed automatic transmission. Making 240 hp at 5,500 rpms, the engine offers a new peak in efficiency, thanks in part to a new friciton-reducing coating inside the cylinders.

GALLERY: Jaguar F-Type roadster

Run-of-the-mill Jaguar XJ not good enough for you? Not even the $111,000 Supersport version? Better dig deep into your pockets for the XJ Ultimate Edition.

Last year Range Rover introduced its Autobiography Ultimate Edition which became the most expensive Land Rover made. Even though official pricing hasn’t been announced, we expect the XJ Ultimate Edition to follow a similar path, possibly boasting a price tag upwards of $175,000.

Despite the Land Rover boasting such an exorbitant price tag, it quickly sold out and clearly the success has allowed the British automaker to do the same with its XJ model. Among the car’s luxury features, there are two separate, fully-reclining seats in the rear along with aluminum folding tables and space to serve your favorite champagne.

Embedded behind the seats are built-in Apple iPads, similar to what was in the Range Rover Ultimate, to provide entertainment. If Apple’s tablet isn’t good enough, passengers can also watch entertainment on the TVs in the headrests. Since the XJ Ultimate Edition is clearly intended for transporting passengers, the suspension has been modified to give a more comfortable, softer ride. Engine choices will, however, be the same as the standard XJ model.

GALLERY: Jaguar XJ Ultimate Edition

Booze flows, cigarettes are smoked and secretaries snogged on a regular basis during an episode of AMC’s popular show Mad Men, but it came as surprise to Jaguar when the automaker found itself the center of attention in last Monday’s installment. 

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, the fictional ad agency which the plot is built around, tries to win Jaguar as a client.

“We did not have any role in the creation of the Jaguar brand storyline in the AMC television show ‘Mad Men,’ though we did enjoy seeing the Jaguar brand make a cameo,” said a company spokesperson to Automotive News. “Certainly, Jaguar, and especially the Jaguar E-Type, was one of the enduring iconic images of that era.”

Indeed, Jags were sex symbol cars at the time, prompting the comment from main character Don Draper: “I think a man getting out of a Jaguar needs a cold shower… The Jaguar XKE is pornographic.”

In true Mad Men fashion, sex is at the center of the episode and predictably spoils the deal when the Jaguar executive’s wife finds chewing gum on his private regions after returning from a brothel.

[Source: Automotive News]

British luxury and sports car maker Jaguar is often associated with older clientele. To help break it out of that stereotype, and to attract a younger, hipper audience; Jaguar enlisted the help of a grafitti artist.

Mr. Kaves, who is known for his free-hand style spray paint designs was given a brand new XKR as his blank canvas. The end result is a  Jaguar unlike anything you’ve seen before.

On hand at the unveiling was the man who designed the XKR, Ian Callum, who praised Mr. Kaves for his art work. This might just be a publicity stunt, but it will surely attract an audience that normally would not spend time admiring a Jaguar.

While this might be the latest art car, it is not the first. BMW has had art cars since the 1970′s; and a few years ago, Infiniti presented their G37 coupe art car, which was later sold at an auction for $55,000 (proceeds from which went to ONE DROP, a charity founded by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte).

To get a glimpse of how the Jaguar art car was created, check out the video below.

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At the 2012 New York Auto Show, Jaguar showed off a F-Type Roadster test mule, and rough details on when to expect the production model’s debut. Now, clearer photos of the test mule than our cameras could capture from the screen during the press release are available.

Based on the British automaker’s C-X16 concept, the all-new Jaguar F-Type sports car development has been accelerated based on all the positive feedback from the concept model. The F-Type will originally launch as a convertible, two-seater focused on rewarding its driver. Jaguar plans on offering a range of standard gasoline engines to power the F-Type, including a new powerplant family.

“That car will be called the F-Type, and it will be unveiled in production form later this year. The core appeal of Jaguar’s cars is their sporting heart, and that heart will beat stronger than ever before in the F-Type. Its development is a vivid representation of the confidence and ambition of the Jaguar brand, and the desire amongst our engineers and design team to produce a world-leader in a market segment that we have been absent from for too long. But no longer — the F-Type is coming,” said Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director of Jaguar Cars.

The F-Type is already on its final on-road testing phase and engineering prototypes are coming out of Jaguar’s Castle Brownwich plant which is where the production models will be produced. Full technical details and model ranges will be announced later this year. The F-Type will be on sale in mid-2013.

Hallmark also confirmed during the conference that the production model will be nearly identical to the concept we saw during last year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, a gallery of which you can click through below.

GALLERY: Jaguar F-Type Official Photos

GALLERY: Jaguar C-X16 Concept

Absence from the New York Auto Show today didn’t stop the new Jaguar F-Type from stealing the show.

Instead of a traditional teaser, Jaguar poked fun at the spy photographers publications rely on by offering them a break from hanging out in trees. Instead, those attending the press conference saw a short video featuring plenty of footage with a “properly camouflaged” test mule flying around a track.

While mechanical details weren’t released on the F-Type, Jaguar global brand director Adrian Hallmark said during the conference that the F-Type would remain almost entirely true to the C-X16 unveiled last September.

While that car debuted in coupe format as the automaker’s first foray into the two-seater market since the early 90′s, Hallmark also said the F-Type will initially debut as a convertible. Furthermore, he said the production model will be unveiled later this year.

We can report that the F-Type will have a top speed over 180 mph. Engine specs weren’t included but last year we learned that the concept this car will be closely based on would sprint from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.4 seconds. It achieves that with a 380-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V6.

It isn’t clear if the production model will be a hybrid like the C-X16 concept, but it seems reasonable given how many other automakers are integrating the technology into future sports cars.

Better fuel mileage is one benefit, but another will be improved weight distribution thanks to the battery pack being mounted at the rear. In the concept that meant perfect 50-50 balance, though that might change with the convertible.

Expect more information to become available as the official unveil approaches.

GALLERY: Jaguar C-X16 concept

This year marks Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee, and to celebrate, a gathering of sixty rare and beautiful cars will be brought together at the quadrangle in Windsor Castle in England. 

Only cars of the highest caliber have been invited to the event, and will be arriving at the castle from all over the world. One car from every year starting from 1952 will be featured, representing every year since the Queen was inaugurated. The earliest car featured is a 1952 Bentley R Type(54′ R Type Shown Above), and the newest car will be a 2011 Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF or a Porsche 991.

Most of the cars have already been selected, but an open casting call is out right now for owners of specific cars to volunteer to bring their fine machines to the Castle to be displayed for the Queen.

We have to wonder how much the Queen really likes cars? Hopefully she appreciates what she is getting, as this will undoubtedly be one of the nicest gatherings of rare luxury cars ever.

Below is a list of the cars that will be featured at the event. Some of them have been found already, and some haven’t. If you are the owner of one of the cars on the list and would like to participate, click here for more information.

• 1952 Bentley R Type // Riley RME
• 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 // Austin Healey 100 // Porsche 550
• 1954 Jaguar XK140 // Alfa Romeo Giulietta // Jensen 541
• 1955 Bentley S1 // Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud // Jaguar Mk1
• 1956 Austin Healey 100-6 // BMW 507 // Jaguar Mk VIII
• 1957 Jaguar XK150 //Lotus 7
• 1958 Lancia Flaminia // Bristol 406 // Aston Martin DB4
• 1959 Mini // Jaguar Mk2 // Maserati 5000GT
• 1960 Alvis TD21 // Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato // Saab 96
• 1961 Jaguar E-Type // Lancia Flavia // Triumph TR4
• 1962 MGB // Bentley S3 // Alfa Romeo Giulia
• 1963 Aston Martin DB5 // Lamborghini 350GT // Gorfon Keeble
• 1964 Porsche 911 // Ferrari 275GTB // Sunbeam Tiger
• 1965 Ford Mustang // Ford GT40 // Aston Martin DB6 // Bristol 409
• 1966 Jensen Interceptor // Lamborghini Miura // Alfa Romeo Spider
• 1967 Toyota 2000GT // Aston Martin DBS // TVR Vixen
• 1968 Ferrari Daytona // Morgan Plus 8 // Triumph TR5
• 1969 Bristol 411 // Triumph TR6 // Ford Capri
• 1970 Range Rover // Triumph Stag // Citroen SM // Lamborghini Urraco
• 1971 Maserati Bora // Alfa Romeo Alfasud // Bentley Corniche
• 1972 Bentley Corniche // Lancia Stratos // Jenson-Healey
• 1973 Ferrari 308 GT4 // Maserati Khamsin
• 1974 Lamborghini Countach // Lotus Eclat
• 1975 Triumph TR7 // Jaguar XJ-S // Rolls-Royce Camargue
• 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda // Lotus Esprit // Porsche 924
• 1977 Porsche 928 // Alfa Romeo Giulietta // BMW E23
• 1978 BMW M1 // Mazda RX-7
• 1979 Lancia Delta // Mercedes-Benz S-Class W126
• 1980 Audi quattro // Ferrari Mondial // Austin Metro
• 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 // Lamborghini Jalpa // Maserati Biturbo
• 1982 Lotus Excel // Porsche 944
• 1983 BMW M635CSi // Land Rover Defender // Peugeot 205
• 1984 Ferrari 288GTO // Ferrari Testarossa // Bentley 8
• 1985 Bentley Turbo R // BMW M5 // Ferrari 328
• 1986 Porsche 959 // BMW M3 // Aston V8 Zagato
• 1987 Ferrari F40 // Ferrari 348 // Land Rover Discovery
• 1988 Porsche 964
• 1989 Aston Martin Virage // BMW Z1
• 1990 Honda NSX
• 1991 TVR Griffith // Bentley Continental R
• 1992 McLaren F1 // Jaguar XJ220 // Ferrari 456
• 1993 Aston Martin DB7 // Porsche 993
• 1994 Maserati Quattroporte // Jaguar XJ // Ferrari F355
• 1995 Ferrari 355GTS
• 1996 Lotus Elise // TVR Cerbera // Porsche Boxster
• 1997 Jaguar XK // Bentley Turbo RT
• 1998 Bentley Arnage // Porsche 996
• 1999 Pagani Zonda // Ferrari 360
• 2000 Lotus Exige // Morgan Aero 8 // BMW Z8
• 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish
• 2002 Ferrari Enzo // Koenigsegg CC8S // Lamborghini Murciélago
• 2003 Lamborghini Gallardo // Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren
• 2004 Porsche Carrera GT // Aston Martin DB9 // Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
• 2005 Bugatti Veyron // Aston Martin Vantage // Gumbert Apollo
• 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano // Lotus Europa S // Audi R8
• 2007 Nissan GT-R // Maserati GranTurismo
• 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe // Jaguar XF // Lotus Evora
• 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia // Aston Martin Rapide // Jaguar XJ
• 2010 Aston Martin One-77 // Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
• 2011 Lamborghini Aventador // Ferrari FF // Porsche 991