Jaguar F-Type Prototypes Driven by Three World-Class Racers

So far, the F-Type has gained nothing but praise. That’s mainly because of its looks, though, being a two-seater open-top sports car with a choice of three supercharged engine options that send power to the rear wheels must have helped, too.Jaguar brought in three TV presenters to sample prototypes of the F-Type on the Snetterton track and the roads around it. To be fair, their job description is not entirely accurate.



Yes, they are employed by television channels such as BBC, ITV, Sky Sports and Speed Channel to host or comment on car shows and racing series but their resume is much richer than that: they all are former world-class professional racing drivers, too.

Christian Danner is a Formula 3000 champion and has raced in Formula 1, Champ Cars, and the International and British Touring Car Championships.

Martin Brundle won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990 for Jaguar and has 158 Formula 1 starts under his belt having raced for a number of teams, including McLaren and Williams, from 1984 to 1996 and though he didn’t score a win, he climbed to the podium nine times.

The third, and youngest, of the lot is the son of Derek Bell, Justin. Though he hadn’t achieved the success of his father, who won the Le Mans five times, the Daytona 24 three times, the World Sportscar Championship twice and has raced for Ferrari and McLaren in F1, Justin has made his own mark in motorsport by winning the GT2 Class in the 1997 FIA GT championship driving a Dodge Viper GTS-R.

You can see what those three experienced gentlemen think about the F-Type by watching the video after the break.

By Andrew Tsaousis

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Jaguar-Land Rover Confirms Interest in Building a Plant in Saudi Arabia

After opening its first assembly plant in India last year and laying the foundations for a new manufacturing facility in China in partnership with Chery Automobile, the Jaguar Land Rover group is now eyeing a new factory in Saudi Arabia.

The British carmaker signed a letter of intent with Saudi Arabia's government and the National Industrial Clusters Development Program (NICDP), and will begin a detailed feasibility study immediately to determine the viability of setting up an automotive facility in the country.



"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an attractive potential development option, complementing our existing advanced facilities in Britain and recent manufacturing plans to expand in other countries including India and China," said Ralf Speth, Chief Executive of Jaguar Land Rover

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The company said it is expanding its production facilities in these regions as sales to emerging markets contributed to a 32% increase in global retail sales to 324,184 vehicles in the eleven months to November 30, 2012. In the Middle East and North Africa, the group's sales increased by more than 9% to 11,418 units this year.

While talks are in a preliminary stage, Jaguar Land Rover said it has already identified opportunities in aluminium component production as the world’s largest integrated aluminium complex, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Mining Company and Alcoa of the US, is scheduled to become operative in 2014 at the Ras Al Khair facility.

Jaguar Land Rover, which is controlled by India's Tata Motors, makes use of all-aluminium monocoque body structures on several models including the latest Jaguar XJ and the Range Rover.

The automaker said issues such as level of investment, potential capacity and job creation have not yet been discussed in detail with the Saudi Arabian government, adding that it expects to release further details in 2013.

"This is an exciting project that could enable Jaguar Land Rover to establish a Joint Venture partnership in a part of the world where luxury vehicle sales are expected to rise,” said Speth. "If we proceed, it will complement our existing expansion in the UK and elsewhere."

 

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Drive Goes Inside Jaguar’s Nürburgring Test Facility, Samples the XKR-S

Maybe some of you are thinking, “oh, it's just another Nürburgring video where a lucky chap is having a blast driving a powerful car”. Bear with us, though, because it's much more than that.

In fact, it’s a look at the inside workings of a car maker's dedicated Nordschleife test center.Jaguar has been visiting the 13-mile-long track for more than two decades and it was one of the first manufacturers to set up shop there, just outside the track’s northern loop, in 2003.



Drive journalist JF Musial had the opportunity to get inside this, normally restricted, area and get the full tour by Jaguar’s head of European Test Operations, Phil Talboys.

Talboys explained that it’s not just the hotted-up “R” or “RS” versions that get tested, butevery single variant of each Jag before it gets signed off for production.

That’s because there are things like suspension settings and electronic stability control calibrations that have to be tested and tuned differently for cars like the rear- and all-wheel drive XF or XJ.

An interesting fact is that not any Jaguar employee can just hop into one of the cars and have a little fun at the 'Ring. Just like an MI6 agent needs to have two confirmed kills under his belt before earning a double-0 status, any Jaguar engineer that wants a Nordschleife “license to drive” must pass a series of tests. So far, less than 30 people are qualified…

Then again, any ‘Ring story would be incomplete without a lap around what probably has become the most famous track in the world.

A 550HP XKR-S, in particular the test car that was used to develop the production version and set a lap record with Sascha Bert behind the helm, is just what the doctor ordered, complete with Bert himself in the driver’s seat and a damp track to make things more interesting.

You can watch the whole story in detail right after the jump.

By Andrew Tsaousis

 

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New Jaguar XFR-S in Depth, Sports a Tuned 542hp Supercharged V8

We've already had the opportunity to show you what the brand-new Jaguar XFR-S looks likebefore its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show, so now it's time to tell you what lies under its sported up body.

Billed as an "ultra-high performance" version of the XF series, the XFR-S is the fastest and most powerful production sedan in the history of Jaguar.

It makes use of the same souped-up 5.0-liter supercharged V8 as the XKR-S, producing 40hp and 41 lb-ft more torque than the standard XFR's V8 for a total of 542hp (550PS) and 502 lb-ft (680Nm). An 8-speed Quickshift automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddles drives the rear wheels.

Jaguar quotes a zero to 60 mph acceleration time of 4.4 seconds1 (0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds) and an electronically-limited top speed of 186 mph1 (300km/h) – an improvement of 0.3 seconds and 31mph (50km/h) respectively over the plain-Jane XFR.

Fuel economy is equal to the XFR with 23 mpg highway, meaning that no gas guzzler tax applies to the 'S' model.

Jaguar says it has upgraded a number of key driveline components with new half-shafts, a larger central bearing on the driveshaft, and a new torque converter, to help cope with the added power.

In addition, the XFR-S exhaust system replaces the central muffler with an X-piece and near straight-through rear pipes for a more audacious sound.

To improve handling, Jaguar's engineers uprated the suspension on both ends of the car and revised electronic programs controlling the Adaptive Dynamics, active electronic differential and Dynamic Stability Control systems, while the XFR-S now rides on forged 20-inch Varuna alloy wheels shod in exclusive Pirelli tires size 265/35R20 front and 295/30R20 rear.

The braking system comprises 380mm (14.96") front and 376mm (14.80") rear internally ventilates discs.

"What we have given the XFR-S is greater handling capacity, greater precision and greater capability," says Mike Cross, Chief Engineer, Vehicle Integrity, Jaguar. "It's a car for driving purists – it will feel engaging within the first 50 meters but remains accessible and confidence-inspiring at any speed."

On the outside, the 'S' model gains new aerodynamic parts, including a redesigned front bumper with larger lower central and side air intakes, extended side sills, deeper side moldings behind the rear wheels and a rear wing available in two sizes.

"The Design Team was very conscious that it would be the aerodynamic solutions required to deliver the performance of the XFR-S that would dictate its aesthetics," explained Wayne Burgess, Studio Director, Jaguar Design. "This is a concentrated and focused car and the design revisions and the materials used all reflect that."

Jaguar's designers also decorated the exterior of the car with carbon fiber trims.

Changes have been made to the interior as well with carbon leather on the seat bolsters and armrests, a dark mesh aluminum fascia, available contrasting color stitching and micro piping, and R-S badges.

For the 2014 model year, Jaguar will offer only 100 examples of the XFR-S in the United States, with another 100 cars to be sold the following year. Prices have yet to be announced.

 

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5 Comments Jaguar's Hot Winged XFR-S Sneaks

 

For the past couple of weeks, Jaguar has been feeding us samplers of its upcoming XFR-S through cropped pictures, but there's no more need for that as the first complete images of the brand's fastest and most powerful sedan ever made their appearance online.We will have the opportunity to see the car in the flesh and learn everything there is to know about its technical specifications tomorrow during its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

For now, we can tell you that it will likely be offered with a tuned version of Jaguar's supercharged 5.0-liter V8, producing around 540 to 550 horses.

These new images also reveal the XFR-S' more aggressive bodywork that includes a redesign front bumper incorporating larger vents and carbon fiber trim, with the same material also found on the grille, more prominent side skirts and a large rear wing.

In addition, the flagship model of the XF series, of which only 200 examples will be sold in the U.S., rides on a new set of wheels while Jaguar's designers painted all the car's bright chrome trim in a dark finish.

 

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