Archive for category Jaguar
Jaguar XK Sports Car Joins The Lightweight Supercar Club
Jaguar’s new XK supercar is a stunning looking car, bound to turn heads wherever goes. It has the beauty and sleekness of some of the old Jaguars of the 1960s. Yet like those masterpieces, the real story of the new XK, and what sets it apart from its competitors is what lurks beneath the paintwork.
No, this time it is not some sensational engine, as it was with the XK120, but the fact that the body is made from aluminum – like the new Jaguar XJ.
The idea of using aluminum – Honda started the trend 15 years ago with the NSX, and was quickly followed by Audi with the A8 – is to reduce weight. Honda reduced a lot of weight with the NSX sports car – the body was 40 per cent lighter than if had been made from steel.
Aluminum bodies last longer than steel ones because the metal does not corrode like steel, and they also absorb crash impact well – so they are safe. Now, several auto companies use aluminum for some body parts, but Jaguar is a world leader in making cars from aluminum sheet and extrusions. Read the rest of this entry »
New Jaguar XF Wins Top Award
The new Jaguar XF has won the coveted What Car magazine Car of the Year 2008 award, beating off stiff competition from rivals BMW and Mercedes.
What Car stipulate that the winner of the award “must have done more than anything else from the past 12 months to move things on”.
Jaguar is a mere cottage industry alongside the mighty Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Yet its replacement for the retro styled S-Type was considered to have beaten the best the company’s German rivals could offer.
This is even more of an achievement when set against the backdrop of uncertainty over Jaguar’s future, with the sale of the company by owners Ford now imminent – most likely to Indian motor group Tata.
The magazine singled out in particular the way the XF out-drives the previously unbeatable BMW 5 Series, which is saying something, but also manages to be more supple on poor surfaces.
Accepting the award, Jaguar and Land Rover managing director Mike O’Driscoll said, “This marks a very special day for Jaguar. We’re back.” Read the rest of this entry »