You may conjure up visions of luxury sedans and boulevard cruisers when you think of Jaguar, but the Leaping Cat marque has also made some wickedly fast sports cars over the years.

Foremost among them is surely the XJ220, the all-out, world-conquering supercar Coventry produced in the early ’90s. A Jaguar XJ220 set the Nürburgring lap record in 1992 when John Nielsen recorded a 7:46 lap – a record that held until it was finally unseated at the turn of the millennium.

The question is, could Jaguar’s latest production model match the aging Super Cat for pace around the Norschleife? To find out, Evo‘s Chris Harris took the new XKR-S down to Eifel and brought along the XJ220… piloted by the same John Nielsen, no less. Follow the jump to see how it went down.

Continue reading EVO pits 2012 Jaguar XKR-S vs. XJ220 at the ‘Ring

EVO pits 2012 Jaguar XKR-S vs. XJ220 at the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We submit to the record that the Shelby Cobra is the coolest American car ever to go into production. Whether or not you agree, there’s no denying the fact that the car that Carroll built is a legend in both street and racing circles, and it was the first car from waving the Stars and Stripes to truly upset the German and Italian motorsports hierarchy. Impressive credentials, then.

But is the Cobra the fastest car ever to wear the Shelby badge? Ah, now that’s an entirely different matter altogether, and one the boys from Hot Rod decided to put to the test. In one corner we have the incumbent 427 SC Cobra. Its challenger, bringing 750 supercharged horsepower to the ring, is none other than the 2011 Shelby GT500 Super Snake.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall… which is the baddest of them all? To find out, Hot Rod lined the two track-tuned beasts against each other for two separate tests: a road course and the drag strip. And the winner is? See for yourself in the video after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Jason!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Hot Rod pits Shelby Cobra against Super Snake, baddest crowned

Video: Hot Rod pits Shelby Cobra against Super Snake, baddest crowned originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When General Motors first announced that Americans would once again be able to get their power-hungry hands on a turbocharged Buick, enthusiast minds immediately leapt to visions of a modern day Grand National. Now, however, it’s clear that the new Regal Turbo isn’t exactly the second coming of old-school forced-induction glory. That hasn’t stopped the crew at Inside Line from lining the two up on the quarter mile and sharing their exploits with the world. The editors chose an ’87 Grand National as the representative of the old-school set, and predictably, it puts the new-age Regal CXL Turbo in its place without breaking a sweat down the quarter mile.

Even so, the 2011 Regal Turbo managed to pull off wins in both the slalom and skid pad as well as brake tests, but both results are of little surprise given that the new Regal Turbo has the benefit of over 20 years of technology on its side. You can head over to Inside Line for the full skinny on how both vehicles performed under the scrutiny of IL testing. Hit the jump to check out the quarter-mile video, too. Thanks for the tip, Brandon!

[Source: Inside Line]

Continue reading Video: IL pits 2011 Buick Regal Turbo against 1987 Grand National

Video: IL pits 2011 Buick Regal Turbo against 1987 Grand National originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in the Mad Men days, just about everyone was either a General Motors man or a Ford man. Cadillac or Lincoln. Buick or Mercury. Nowadays it may be as much about Toyota vs Honda, but the Detroit rivalry is far from dead. Arguably more than anywhere else, it’s played out in Australia, where it’s all about GM’s Holden versus Ford…in the showrooms, on the streets and, perhaps most of all, on the race track.

While up in this hemisphere the Detroit automakers play out their rivalries in stock cars on super-speedways, Down Under it’s all about the V8 Supercars series. And this past weekend’s race at Surfer’s Paradise was one for the ages.

This year’s Gold Coast 600 drew a star-studded lineup of international racing superstars from around the world: names like Castroneves, Bourdais, Franchitti, Dixon, Salo and Villeneuve. But it was the seasoned series veterans racing against the fresh-faced newcomers who made for some of the most nail-biting action you’re ever likely to see. It was all about defending champ Jamie Whincup in the Team Vodafone Holden Commodore against young Shane Van Gisbergen in the Stone Brothers/SP Tools Ford Falcon. Watch it all unfold down to the line in the video after the jump. Thanks to all for the tips!

[Sources: Motorsport.com, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Epic showdown pits Ford rookie against GM vet in final laps of V8 Supercar race

Video: Epic showdown pits Ford rookie against GM vet in final laps of V8 Supercar race originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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