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Green Goblin: Jaguar Unleases 530HP XKR Goodwood Special

There are car shows and then there are car shows. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the latter. Instead of static displays in a convention center under terrible lighting, Goodwood takes some of the most desirable automobiles past and present and puts them on full display in all their glory, racing up the hill at Goodwood House in West Sussex, seat of the Lord March Duke of Richmond. It's also home turf for Britain's most stoic automakers, chief among them Jaguar which always comes with some truly lust-worthy machinery. And this year Jaguar wasn't about to go unnoticed. So they came with the XKR Goodwood Special you see here, decked out in bright lime green with grey and orange accents.

The XKR Goodwood Special upgrades on the stock version with a 20-horsepower boost to give the supercharged V8 a 530hp, 515 lb-ft output. It also rides on 21" alloys in the same graphite trim that replaces all the car's chrome, mounted to a dropped suspension and fitted with a special exhaust to let the big cat's growl reverberate across the estate. So far the Goodwood Special is a unique one-off, but if Jaguar gets enough interest they could put it into limited production.

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Jaguar Tuner Arden Re-Issues Limited Edition AJ18 XK Coupe

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Looking for the ultimate Jaguar GT? The new XKR is one heck of a ride, but if you're still fixated on the previous-generation model and want something a little more exclusive, Arden may have something in store for a select few. The Jaguar tuning house released the AJ18 at the 1999 Frankfurt auto show nearly a full decade ago, and announced it would built only 13 examples. In a strange twist, however, ten years and a whole new model since, the company has announced it will built another five for a few lucky customers.

The AJ18 gives the previous-generation Jaguar XK a distinctly racing appearance but is fully legal for road use. Although the engine remains untouched, Arden has upgraded the brakes and suspension for a more aggressive package, complimented by a carbon-composite aerodynamics package and upgraded 20" competition wheels. It'll probably get its clock cleaned by the latest version straight out of the Jaguar factory, but you can't put a price on exclusivity.

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Tags: arden, arden aj18, arden jaguar, ArdenAj18, ArdenJaguar, jaguar, jaguar xk, jaguar xk8, jaguar xkr, JaguarXk, JaguarXk8, JaguarXkr

The Classicist: Cruising in the New 2010 Jaguar XK Convertible

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, The Classicist

A few years back we went on one of the best road trips ever at the wheel of a Jaguar XK convertible. So we literally leapt at the chance to take the brand new one for a spin. Jaguar roadsters have always held a place of honor in the pantheon of stylish sports cars, dating back to the legendary XK120, forerunner of the current model - although stylistically the new XK owes more to the XK-E (E-Type) with its oval mouth. The XK120 referred to the car's top speed; when introduced in 1948 it was the world's fastest standard production car, with killer looks to match. It acquired an instant aura of glamor and cemented Jaguar's reputation forever when Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart cruised Hollywood in their XK120s like stylish gods. (We'll develop on this theme further in a later installment).

The XK120 evolved into the famous race-winning XK120-C, or C-Type, that in turn led to the wicked D-Type, made famous by Steve McQueen, and eventually the iconic E-Type, which as noted the current model most closely resembles. First unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961, the E-Type's legendary power to attract the opposite sex was phrased best by American motoring writer Henry Manney III, who dubbed it "The greatest crumpet-catcher known to man." Not a bad precedent for its more recent relation. While we didn't actually catch any crumpets with the new XK, it wasn't the car's fault as we were more interested in zooming down the road than cozying up to the local flora and fauna. Also there are a lot more outlandish-looking autos on the road these days; compared to these the XK exudes an elegant aura of restrained power that behooves its feline namesake; very British in a sense.

For 2010 the aluminum-bodied XK available as of this August is kitted out with an AJ-V8 Gen III 5.0-liter engine capable of delivering 385 hp and 515 Nm of torque (a supercharged version produces 510 hp and 625 Nm of torque). With these numbers the naturally aspirated version hits 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, while top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Some subtle, sporty updates over previous models have been made to the exterior without detracting from the car's stylistic heritage, including a new front end, new rear lights fitted with LED technology, a new rear body valance, body-colored side power vents, chrome-detailed inserts, and sleek alloy wheels.

Gallery: 2010 Jaguar XK Convertible

Tags: British car, BritishCar, convertible, Gary Cooper, GaryCooper, Humphrey Bogart, HumphreyBogart, Jaguar, Jaguar XK, JaguarXk, roadster, sports cars, SportsCars, Steve McQueen, SteveMcqueen, UK

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Review: 2009 Jaguar XK 4.2 Coupe

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Click above for a high res gallery of the Jaguar XK

Whenever lists of the most beautiful car designs of all time are written, one of the perennial entries is the Jaguar E-Type (known as the XK-E in the US). Originally introduced in 1961, the E-Type was built until 1975, when modern safety and emissions regulations finally brought an end to its run. For the next two decades it was succeeded by the XJ-S which had a strong following but never had the stunning beauty of its predecessor. In 1996 the XK was reborn now under Ford ownership.

While that XK looked the part of a modern interpretation of the E-Type, it's XJ-S derived chassis just wasn't up to the task of a modern GT. In 2006, the XK finally came right when the current generation debuted. The current XK was an all-new design, with an aluminum intensive chassis that cut some 200 pounds while adding the latest technology. We spent a week with a 2009 XK coupe that you can read about after the jump.

Gallery: 2009 Jaguar XK Coupe

Tags: 2009 jaguar xk, 2009JaguarXk, jaguar xk, JaguarXk

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Butts Worthy of Insurance

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

J. Lo might think she has an ass worthy of insurance, but Aston Martin has one up on her. The automaker's prized asset, the DBS, won accolades for its derriere with a total of 1,260 people who took a survey at the MPH '07 car show, beating out the other fantastic butts of the Jaguar XK, the Audi R8, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizone and the Bugatti Veyron. Interestingly enough, the women who took the poll were fonder of the Bugatti; however, the DBS won out.

Automotive asses are hardly the new topic of conversation. BMW design chief Chris Bangle's rear-end design was initially ridiculed with cat calls of "Bangle-Butt," then later highly-revered as the new direction for car design.

[Source: Mobilemag]

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Tags: aston martin dbs, AstonMartinDbs, bangle butt, BangleButt, bugatti veyron, BugattiVeyron, jaguar xk, JaguarXk