All Entries Tagged With: "JAGUAR"
Jaguar Gets Geared Up For The World Cup
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Jaguar Cars
YES, it would seem that even Team Jaguar is getting geared up for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Their marketing department has even created a special logo and a kind of award series called the “Jaguar Academy of Sport” designed for recognizing British athletic success stories.
Slick as the concept is, it leaves little doubt as to which country Team Jaguar supports which might not suit their Indian parent corporation.
But pounds sterling trumps nationalism, so hopefully this bit of patriotism (rare these days of multinational firms) will play well for Jaguar’s UK sales somehow.
A Friendly Reminder: Jaguar is 75.
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Jaguar Cars, Ltd ::: Jaguar 75 Years
SEVENTY-FIVE years. Don’t they go by in a blink?
Founded in 1922, the Swallow Side Car Company featured roadsters with model designations starting “SS” (i.e, SS100). During the war, Jaguar boss Sir William Lyons had the good sense to change the name of the company to “Jaguar”, deftly navigating round unpalatable connotations with the enemy.
In case you’re doing the math, Jaguar is marking 2010 as the 75th anniversary of the company using the Jaguar name. The historical milestone calls for a celebrations of sorts.
Jaguar’s brought the RSR XKR GT2 to the American track; racing in the American LeMans Series (ALMS). Jaguar also aims to make a special splash at Pebble Beach this year, too.
A right year for the Coventry cat then? With the launch of the next XJ, set against an aging S-Class, LS, and one-year-old 7er, good motor press clippings are likely to follow in the months ahead.
What better way to mark 75 years then?
Jag v. Dump Truck: Another Day on 95
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: Jaguar vs. dump truck ::: img via IMCDB
NEVER mess with the irate driver of a Jaguar.
Particularly if said driver carries a loaded weapon and uses both gun and Jag to carry out a vendetta against you -or – in this one instance on I-95 in Virginia, a dump trunk whose driver also suffered from an acute case of road rage.
Per the Washington Post:
[T]wo Woodbridge men [were] jailed and facing attempted-murder charges began with jockeying at a merge lane, escalated to demolition-derby-style ramming and ended with gunshots [...] four witnesses told [the police] that the dump truck “intentionally rammed the Jaguar” and that “the dump truck struck the other vehicle several times, pinning it against the guardrail on the right shoulder then against the concrete wall on the left shoulder,” leaving it with “significant damage.”
The driver of the M.Y. 2004 Jaguar pulled over, exited car, brandished piece and shot at the truck as many as 13 times across crowded I-95.
His fury not quite sated, its reported that the driver then got back in his Jag and went off to attack the dump truck by ramming into it until State Police pulled both vehicles over.
But here’s the real question burning our inquisitive minds – was the Jaguar an S-Type of X-Type? The Post didn’t say.
Oh, but they did report that there was a toddler riding shotgun in the car during the entire event.
On The Street: New York Jag
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Automobiles De Luxe ::: Jaguar MK2 3.8 Litre
JUST about everything in New York is dog-eared from hard use. Curbs, door frames, taxis, shoes…this 60’s MK2 Jag’s no exception. I found this aged cat – its ass sticking halfway into 26th Street, this side of 10th – diagonally across from a Tesla showroom.
Stoically, the cat sat as I took picture after picture. Like some British lion, its best years well past, there’s some aspect of this Jaguar – as with almost any Jaguar – that never lost its luster.
It’s something that’s neither really engineered nor fitted, but has more to do with an inert passion that’s espoused in every glint of chrome and every curve of line.
It’s why when I stopped to observe the black MK2 with wire rims, another pedestrian was compelled to stop, too.
She marveled for a spell and then took out her camera and capture one photo, then two, then three, then four. You see, almost regardless of condition, not only is the sex appeal of a vintage Jag universal – it’s addictive.
Cinema & Car: Vertigo’s Jaguar Mk VIII
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via IMCDB.org
VERTIGO is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s all time greats.
Shot in 1957, released in ‘58, the film is a distant, surreal look at unrequited love, betrayal, and revenge. Vertigo envelops us in a San Franciscan fog of mystery. There’s little dialogue and each scene takes on the dreamlike, melancholic din of an Edward Hopper oil-on-canvas.
It’s said that Hitchcock dedicated months to story boarding so that every cinematic moment would symbolically transmit the plot’s (and perhaps his own) naked message of lust, vulnerability, and rage.
Our darkest conditions, in otherwords.
When I first watched Vertigo ten years ago, I discovered that part of this gothic work’s appeal is in how Hitchcock artfully implements automobiles in establishing scene and, of course, to transport the story. Herein the graceful Jaguar Mk VIII played a central role.
The casting was perfect.
Jaguar represented an exotic alternative in the American car market circa 1958. The Mark series presented the same upstanding chrome and burl inlay qualities of a Bentley but with the sporting forward lean of the Jaguar S-Type.
The big cat’s flowing fenders, shown in the above screenshot in three quarter, perfectly compliment the deportment of our mysterious, anglophilic lady (Kim Novak).
Notice how the car’s right fender is in direct line with the Golden Gate’s abutment and seems to point at the actress; framing the action that’s about to ensue. An artful confluence of automobile and cinema, no doubt.
And, ladies & gents, a stylish template for automotive product placement for years to come.
What Makes a Jaguar, “A Jag-u-ar”?
- The essential elements of Jaguar design
- Ian Callum’s team should avoid Germanification
- Keep the sex please, Jaguar’s British
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Jaguar Cars
NO, seriously.
What makes a Jaguar a “Jag-wharr” “Jag-u-ar” or a “Shagwharr, baby, yeah!” ?
Coming down from the summer’s high of witnessing the troubled Brit car maker launch something – anything – that could be considered exciting, fresh, and new, yours is compelled to pick up a fresh blogger’s grenade, pull the pin and…
Can’t throw it. Won’t.
The world needs Jaguar now more than ever. We need a car company that promises to deliver what we’ll call the “everyday exotic”.
“Everyday” meaning a car that’s produced in some volume with a wide range of engine and trim options that inevitably includes a low-spec variant that has a euro-zone friendly diesel engine and an interior trimmed in velour.
By “exotic”, I refer to an automobile that makes your hand stand on end or at least prompts a second, lasting glance.
Neither BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus are in the business of building everday head-turners.
The latest generation 5er, E-Class, and GS and their higher and lower stablemates are quite doomed to automotive anonymity thanks in large part to their ubiquity and that they share the same design elements from like-minded studios.
Jaguar’s team, led by the talented Ian Callum, is badly tempted to follow this terribly efficient Teutonic trend. They’re prepared to sacrifice the marque’s quintessentially British heritage by playing ze Germans’ game; borrowing heavily from Audi’s middle-of-the-road German aesthetic while pitching an emphasis on technology.
Technology isn’t sexy. Sleek, lean, power and grace is. Which brings us nicely back to our nugget: what makes a Jaguar, a Jaguar?
It’s sex appeal, ladies and gentlemen.
Time’s up. Throw the grenade!
A Peek Inside Castle Bromwich
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
JUST off the M6 which is the highway that runs the length of England is a little Birmingham suburb called Castle Bromwich. This industrial town, originally settled by the Romans, is now home to the factory that builds the latest generation XJ.
So, if you were tempted to refer to the new flagship as another one of Coventry’s cats, you’d be slightly mistaken – in the literal sense.
What you’ll see in this p.r. video is peek at what goes on inside (XJ’s being assembled, duh). The emphasis seems to be on human labor – “craftsmanship” if you like.
Fat Cat Just Got Fatter
By Gunnar Heinrich
BUT not necessarily heavier.
The 2010 Jaguar XJ saloon has grown in size – the long wheelbase XJ overshadowing more asphalt than the current Mercedes-Benz S-Class or BMW 7-Series.
Space being an issue in previous generation XJ saloons (as fair as they were), wisely, Jaguar execs went for the gold by designing a executive transport carriage that was as big or bigger than the competition – but – and this is key, lighter thanks to using aluminum.
A quick ‘n dirty comparo:
Mercedes-Benz S-Class LWB v. Jaguar XJ LWB
Length: MB 205″ / Jag 206.6″
Width: MB 73.7″ / Jag 74.6″
Height: MB 58″ / Jag 57″
Wheelbase: MB 124.6″ / Jag 124.3″
Trunk space: MB 16.3 cu. ft. / Jag 18.4 cu. ft.
Weight: S600 4,872 lbs / Jag 5.0L V8 LWB 4,223 lbs
That having been said, the 2010 XJ is both larger in dimension and heavier (thanks to a new bevvy of technology) than every Jaguar that proceeded it – inclusive of the MK sedans in the 50s and 60s.
Because 1984 Won’t Be Like 1984?
Illustrative example of an 80’s XJ in fine fettle.
By Gunnar Heinrich
NINETEEN thousand, five hundred dollars.
That’s the asking price on Hemmings Motor News for one “sage green” Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas with “111,000 original miles”.
Now, Hemmings is known for… ahem… price inflated listings.
This is usually due to a) overzealous sellers looking to turn a steep profit or b) emotionally attached collectors having to part with their treasures.
But considering that the Jag in question hails from the dark days of British Leyland and that a Ford-era X300 generation (far more reliable) XJ6 in either “fair” to “good” condition can be had for around five large, there’s room for thought that the seller was toking on some serious ganja when he posted the classified.
For good measure, there’s no picture of the aged Chicago-based cat that’s had its front end “completely rebuilt”. We’re only left to dream with the above picture.
Caveat Emptor.
Linked: Hemmings
Leno To Unveil 2010 Jaguar XJ
Soon to be fully revealed.
By Gunnar Heinrich
JAY Leno will host the unveiling of the new Jaguar XJ, a corporate press release has revealed.
The reveal is scheduled for 19:30 Zulu Time.
Mr. Leno seems to be making the rounds in the UK after Autoblog dispersed the loose rumor that the former Tonight Show host and mega car collector would be featured on Top Gear as one of the celebrities to drive a cheap car round a track as fast as he can.
The Jaguar unveiling is set to take place this evening at London’s Saatchi Gallery for contemporary art – as if Coventry weren’t dropping any more hints that this new XJ will break rank with what many view as a staid past.
We’ll reserve judgment if this artistic movement into the boldly avantgarde proves wise until after Mr. Leno skins takes the wraps off the cat.
