Car Throttle

Before a certain Mr. LFA was born, a typical Lexus owner would have been pushing 50 years old. A fact probably unsurprising given that all Lexus built a short while back were three saloons; small, medium, large and a convertible to top it off. All were quiet, comfortable, peaceful and they weren't in your face. To then improve their product range, the folks in Toyota City decided to add the same hybrid technology as Toyota's Prius into their cars to make one of the first 4x4 hybrids on the market. However just talking about the not-so-distant past of Lexus induces yawning from your good author. The future, on the other hand, looks very exciting indeed. 2009 saw the first IS-F, a 5.0L V8

I'm back in North Carolina now, where you can swing a dead cat without hitting a Bentley.  On one hand, it sucks.  I like seeing exotics constantly.  On the other, it's nice that exotics remain exotic. I walked around LA the whole time with my camera around my neck for you guys - so I'll continue now with day two and three of car spotting in LA.  Hope you enjoy it! Classic cars, especially older Japanese cars, seem to have a much longer shelf life in California's relatively mild, dry climate.  This 240Z would have a lot more rust bubbles over here in North Carolina.  I could do without the period window louvers, but YMMV. You could do worse for your commute than driving an

Auto Shows these days are a mix of really exciting debuts, and a lot of updates. Some of these updated models are interesting, but not really worth an entire article to themselves.  I've saved you the time of clicking a thousand links to consolidate the rest of the significant debuts at the NYIAS (New York International Auto Show) this year. Revised Jaguar XK and XF Models There's nothing really wrong with the XK and XF models, which are some of Jag's most competitive models to date.  But the breakneck pace of the market dictates that if it's been out three years, it's already looking old.  Enter the new XF (left) and the new XK (right.)  The revised styling on the XF is intended to mimic Jag's

Jaguar's latest XKR super-coupe is not exactly lacking in the performance department. With a 32-valve 5.0L direct-injected, supercharged V8 the British hot-rod spits 510 thundering horsepower to the ground, allowing it to do things like this in front of Jaguar's PR cameras: And in celebration of the marque's 75th birthday, Jaguar took a pair of diamond hones to the quickest kitties' claws, eking another 20bhp and 22lb-ft of torque out of the V8.  That brings the totals up to 530 and 483, from a piddling 510 and 461 previously.  The XKR 75 also boasts lowered, stiffened suspension and a louder exhaust to let everyone know what a pipe-chomping badass you are.  Jaaaaag says the XKR 75 will blast to 60mph in 4.4 seconds and howl up

This coupe-like sedan trend just isn't going away, and based on what I've been seeing, that is a good thing indeed. Mercedes-Benz started this whole thing with the CLS, and other high-end manufacturers like Porsche and Aston Martin followed. Audi has one coming in the form of the A7 Sportback, and Jaguar might be joining the fray as well, albeit at a lower level. The new model is code-named RD7 and is supposedly similar to the RD6 concept that debuted in 2003. The RD7 won't be a high-end range topper; in fact it would be the exact opposite, serving as the brand's new entry-level model. Think Audi A5 Sportback in terms of size and positioning. Jaguar's renaissance has taken place at the higher end, with the outstanding

Jaguar is on a product renaissance as of late! The XK and XF have  been hit products and it looks like the recently-introduced XJ flagship is following in those footsteps as well. We've never quite seen a Jaguar lineup like this! Hopefully, it will be enough to bring the brand to profitability. If this all-star lineup of cars can't, nothing can. Even under Ford's ownership, it is has been long rumored that Jaguar was planning an XE roadster to compete against Porsche's highly successful Boxster. Nothing ever came of it as it was delayed over and over again. Now Jaguar is being managed right and it looks like it finally could make it's way to production. Ratan Tata, head of Tata Motors (the company that owns

If you're like me, no information on the Jaguar XJ is too much. This car has been a long time coming huh? Jaguar started a new style of future vehicles when it debuted the XK. Everyone was impressed but eager to see if the company would follow through with a similar style for the rest of the lineup. That's where the XF came in, and it definitely lived up to the XK's promise. Orders poured in and the XF put Jaguar back on the map, setting the stsge for a new flagship. It was a long progression: spy shots, renderings and leaks that came out drip by drip. It's here now though, and the base price of $72,500 just announced yesterday. It slipped past me somehow but

Well you can't say I didn't warn you! On April 17th I wrote about AutoExpress' Jaguar XJ renderings and speculated on continued information, leaks and renderings on the car before the car's launch date. It happened: Jaguar itself has released an official teaser of the super-XJ for the Shanghai Motor Show. Jaguar presents the XJ, a view from above. We know it has a huge panaromic sunroof, and it looks like a fairly large windshield/small trunk. That would give further evidence to a XF-like fastback style similar to the recent renderings. Another thing we can tell from it? Retro is so out. Like all recent reports, the new XJ will be ultra-modern. So what else can I say about the car that hasn't already been said except

Following on the heels of yesterday's debut of the 2010 Jaguar XFR sedan comes the refreshed 2010 Jaguar XKR Coupe and Convertible. The new-generation XK, which debuted in 2006, utilizes an aluminum monocoque (much like the larger XJ sedan) to keep weight down.  It is still a traditional front-engine, rear wheel drive grand touring coupe.  The big news for this year, though, is under the hood: the XKR's top engine is now the same as in the new XFR sedan.  The 5.0L AJV8 uses direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, a supercharger, and variable intake geometry to produce a wholly adequate 510 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, making it the second most powerful Jaguar road car in the company's history, after the ridiculous XJ220 supercar.