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Evo pits Jaguar XKR-S vs. Mercedes SL63 AMG in heavyweight droptop fight

We recently received the sad news that the Jaguar XK is ceasing production by the end of the year, but what better way to bid it farewell than with some big, smoky powerslides? The retirement of the sporty GT isn't actually the topic of the latest video from Evo - it's on hand to compete against the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG to see which is faster around a track. Still, we can think of it as a wonderful sendoff for the Jag.
Both convertible grand tourers get their laps around the course, and they couldn't be more different. Driver Jethro Bovingdon gets some grins out of them both, but absolutely giggles while behind the wheel of the XKR-S convertible. The SL63 AMG is the more powerful of the two, but as we know, that doesn't always matter at a racetrack. You'll just have to scroll down and watch the video to see which of them is actually the winner.

This Jaguar E-Type is an even longer-legged feline

Paul Branstad loves the shape and purity of the Series 1 Jaguar E-Type, produced from 1961 to 1968, but appreciates the longer length of the Series 3 V12 model, which affords occupants a more comfortable space in which to enjoy long trips. So when Branstad brought his damaged left-hand-drive 1968 roadster from its home in the US to Classic Motor Cars in the UK for a restoration, he had a special request: restore his car, but make it a bit longer.
"This is something that we have never done before. Our client wanted the interior leg room of a Series 3 V12 E-Type but the aesthetics of a Series 1 car," says Nick Goldthorp, managing director of CMC.
For the restoration, CMC added 4.5 inches of length to the floor pan of Branstad's E-Type to create the extra legroom. Goldthorp relates, "The V12 was actually nine inches longer than a Series 1 but a lot of the additional room was behind the seats as storage and was not required on our project." That's because CMC also built a trailer out of two E-Type rear ends that attaches to a custom-made removable tow hitch.

Jaguar envisions future without V8 engines

With tighter emissions and fuel economy regulations looming, Jaguar may have to do more than make a small, fuel-efficient hatchback to lower its model range's consumption figures - it also might give up its venerable V8 power, Drive reports. But not anytime soon, says Steven de Ploey, Jaguar's product and marketing director, who recognizes that the V8 can be replaced only by something that offers the same, or better, performance. But he has a word of caution: "We are not wedded to V8s."
In the meantime, de Ploey says there are other ways to reduce emissions. One of the first steps Jaguar could take is to shift away from the use of superchargers, which aren't as good as turbochargers at maintaining efficiency and making power. But he adds that supercharging still is "at the heart of Jaguar's performance proposition," and that the company has addressed the current downsizing trend by "replacing our naturally aspirated V8 with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6."
Consider one of de Ploey's comments on the cancelled C-X75 supercar (pictured) for some clue about Jaguar's future: "Some of the stuff we have already exploited to the extreme in the C-X75 is the kind of thinking for us and is an essential test bed to see how we could evolve from today to something that is sustainable in the future."