What binds car enthusiasts to one another? A love for cars, certainly, but we’d argue there’s a deeper psychological connection. Namely that we’ve never quite grown up, and don’t really care to. We’re all still the little boys we once were, hanging posters of our favorite supercars on the walls of our childhood bedrooms. The only way to convince us of the reality of our own age is to show us how old the then-new supercars we pined for as kids have now become. So it’s with a big lump in our collective throat that we bring you the news that the Jaguar XJ220 is now 20 years old – and along with it, that we’re all 20 years older than we were when it came out.

The first time we got a glimpse of the mid-engined XJ220 was actually back in 1988 when it debuted at the British Motor Show. But that was in concept form. It wasn’t until 1992 that the first customer took delivery. And while it was a fair bit different from the concept version (okay, so the drivetrain was very different, with half the cylinders and half the driven wheels of the V12 concept), what we got was still earth-shattering in its capabilities – particularly for its time, but still by any objective measure. The production XJ220 packed 550 horsepower, hit 60 in less than four seconds and hit a top speed of 213 mph… a new record in the early 90s.

By the time production ceased two years later, Jaguar and TWR had built just 275 examples. The one pictured above is one of ten pre-production prototypes, specifically the example that Andy Wallace piloted to that landmark top speed at Ford Stockton, Texas, in 1991. The yellow example (also pictured in our high-resolution image gallery) was one of the very rare XJ220 S homologation specials with carbon fiber bodywork and 700 horsepower on tap. Click the thumbnails to scope it out and follow the jump for the full press release to take a trip back to your childhood.

Continue reading Jaguar celebrates 20 years of XJ220

Jaguar celebrates 20 years of XJ220 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every year, masses of Corvette aficionados descend upon a little town in Pennsylvania to celebrate their love of the long-running Chevrolet sports car. Here in Las Vegas at the 2011 SEMA Show, General Motors has decided to show its appreciation for the legions of Carlisle travelers with the Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept.

We don’t know if Chevy plans to offer this color scheme on production Corvettes, but we hope it does. The exterior is painted in a hue called Carlisle Blue, and it’s punctuated by Pearl White racing stripes and silver-painted Torque 2 wheels. We also like the Cyber Gray headlamps that are optional for 2012. What we like most, however, is the dry-sump 6.2-liter LS3 V8 under the hood. Feel free to peruse our image gallery, then check out the press release after the break.

Continue reading Chevrolet Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept celebrates Pennsylvania pride

Chevrolet Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept celebrates Pennsylvania pride originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Pasadena Art Center College of Design held its annual Car Classic this past weekend, an event that has been a must-attend on our calendars for the past few years. While rain hampered last year’s Car Classic, this year’s event benefited from a typically beautiful Southern California day.

Anyone from the Art Center will tell you that the Car Classic is not a concours event, but rather a display of automotive art. As a result, the selection of cars is fairly eclectic and the vehicles are strewn about the campus lawn in a rather unorganized fashion. While the layout may not be as photogenic, it makes it easy to wander through the sea of cars and simply enjoy each and every one.

Each Car Classic does have a theme, though, and for 2011 the event celebrated Southern California’s influence on automotive design. In addition to the Art Center producing some of the world’s most famous automotive designers, more than twenty advanced automotive design studios call the area home, several of which brought recent concept cars to display. There were also special displays for California hot rods and California beach culture as well as cars designed by Peter Brock. The Petersen Automotive Museum and Mullin Museum also brought out cars from their impressive collections. You can see a sample of the cars in attendance in the high-res gallery above.

2011 Art Center Car Classic celebrates Southern California’s influence on automotive design originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are a few other events earlier in the Monterey car week, but for us it’s Gordon McCall’s Motorworks Revival that really gets things started. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event at the Monterey Jet Center, and it was celebrated with plenty of amazing cars, planes, and fine food and drink.

This year also brought a host of debuts from various sports car manufacturers. Lotus debuted the Evora GTE Road Car Concept, Lamborghini showed off the Aventador this side of the Atlantic for the first time, Hennessey showed off the first Venom GT destined for a domestic customer and Aston Martin brought the V12 Zagato, freshly washed and waxed after its campaign at the Nürburgring.

The Monterey car week is more about classics, however, and there was plenty of vintage iron on display as well. Attendees enjoyed everything from a gorgeous Jaguar D-Type to a Trans-Am Camaro race car. You can see those and more in the high-res gallery above.

McCall’s Motorworks Revival celebrates 20th anniversary originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Racing is racing. Drifting is drifting. The two don’t generally cross over, for one simple reason: drifting is slow, and racing is fast.

Unless your name is Gilles Villeneuve, the general rule is that drifting through a corner isn’t as fast as braking on the way in, clipping the apex and powering out. But at the Skycity Triple Crown this past weekend at Hidden Valley Raceway in Dawin, Australia, one Shane Van Gisbergen celebrated victory by drifting his Ford Falcon V8 Supercar around nearly the entire cool-down lap sideways, the tires lit up and the crowd going wild. It’s a rare sight, and you can watch it for yourself in the video after the jump.

Continue reading V8 Supercar driver celebrates win by drifting entire victory lap

V8 Supercar driver celebrates win by drifting entire victory lap originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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