Tag Archives: MimboloveJaguar
Richard Hammond is a very happy man. That’s because, for the first time since the body was taken off the frame, he can now drive his Jaguar XK150.
The car, part of a restoration that has been ongoing throughout the pandemic, was traded for a vintage Lagonda. Hammond reveals in his latest video, though, that when he got it, it was in a rotten state.
“It had been painted rather ugly dark red and underneath that dark red paint lurked, unbeknownst to me, a horror story,” explains Hammond. “It had had a hard, hard life. It had been crashed, bent, brutalized, and abused. And because, like a lot of these cars, it went through a phase of being worth two quid and a packet of crisps, it hadn’t been expensively repaired and restored. It had been bodged and lashed together.”
Read Also: Richard Hammond Gets His Own Car Restoration Show, Airs Later This Year
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Hammond and his team went through the process of painstakingly repairing it, which, since it’s an old Jaguar was hard. Millimetric precision wasn’t reality a priority for early postwar carmakers, not in the U.K., anyway. So, as Hammond puts it, there was as much building as restoration involved in this project.
With a completely rebuilt engine and hotter cam, a new diff, and better brakes the car drives brilliantly now, though. The only question is whether or not the decision to fit a slightly newer, but less precise transmission was a good idea.
To see him driving the car proudly really makes me wish I had a classic Jag of my own to toot around in, as well as some Amazon money kicking around to fund it and its restoration. Ah, to be a rich Brit.
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Like many automakers, Jaguar’s plans for the future include a move to pure electric propulsion. The company has said, though, it’s looking for partners to help it in its shift from gas to electric. So, we ask what company’s EV platform would make the best platform for Jag’s upcoming EVs?
The good news for the British brand is that there’s no shortage of luxury automakers investing heavily in new electric platforms for it to partner with. Given the expense of designing and making a whole new electric platform, there will undoubtedly be plenty looking to sell their platform to other automakers to make a quick buck.
The Volkswagen Group has already started sharing its electric platform with Ford and Jaguar specifically name-checked Bentley and Porsche when it outlined its new plan, both of which are heavily invested in going electric.
Read Also: Jaguar’s Reinvention As A Super Luxury EV Brand Will Bring Bentley And Porsche Price Levels
Both BMW and Mercedes are also in the midst of unveiling new all-electric vehicles, making them an attractive option worthy of Jaguar’s ambitions.
If the brand is willing to take a gamble on the platform, it could tie itself to Stellantis, which just announced to release eight new models on its STLA platform by 2026 (that’s not quite Jag’s timeline, but indulge me). The owner of a few Italian luxury brands, the platform should be capable of providing Jag with the luxury it’s looking for along with a dynamic flair that it’s known for.
Richard Truett, over at Automotive News, meanwhile, argued that Cadillac would be a perfect brand to buy a platform from. Indeed, the Celestiq and the Lyriq do look like they will be stunners.
Who do you think the brand should partner with to make its credible EVs?
Jaguar Land Rover will launch its all-electric Jaguar I-Pace crossover in the Indian market early next year, as the country looks to embrace clean-energy vehicles and electric mobility.
This comes straight from JLR India boss Rohit Suri, who told Reuters that his company also wants to launch various plug-in hybrid versions of its models in India in the coming months, including the Land Rover Defender PHEV.
Earlier this week, the new Defender made its official debut in India ahead of November’s Diwali festival, during which Indians are said to often make large purchases.
Read Also: 2021 Jaguar I-Pace Unveiled With More Tech, New Visuals
“We are cautiously optimistic that the product line-up will accentuate the recovery we are witnessing,” said Suri, adding that the I-Pace will debut in India sometime in the first three months of 2021.
The I-Pace received an update earlier this summer and it now boasts an improved interior and a few modest design changes for the exterior.
Meanwhile, India plans to offer $4.6 billion in incentives to companies willing to build advanced battery manufacturing facilities locally. Moreover, it could slash import bills by as much as $40 billion by 2030 if EVs become widely adopted.
This strategy would result in the country retaining a 5% import tax for certain batteries, such as those for electric vehicles, until 2022 – beyond that the tax would increase by 15% in order to encourage local manufacturing.
Tata Group companies like JLR owners Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals and Tata Power will now look to build EVs and EV batteries, set up charging stations and even a battery recycling plant.