Mitsubishi Evolution Evo X 10 4b11t Ultimate I-beam Connecting Rods on 2040-parts.com

Porsche acquires Nardo Test Track as its new playground

Porsche Nardo Test Track (map from Google Earth) The enormous Nardo Test Track near Lecce, Italy, has been acquired by Porsche as a new testing ground. Top Gear viewers will probably remember the opening episode if the last series of Top Gear (series 18) with the Lamborghini, McLaren and Noble in Italy or, more specifically, in the Lecce region of Italy which nestles in the warmth of Italy’s heel. The Lecce region also houses the Nardo Test Track which is where the boys took their supercars to hammer round the slightly bumpy outer oval seeking top speed.

New Jaguar XF R-Sport is the start of more R-Sport models from Jaguar

The Jaguar XF R-Sport (pictured) adds sport looks to the saloon and Sportbrake The big news from Jaguar for the 2014 Geneva Motor Show is the arrival of a barnstorming XF Estate – the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake – with its 542bhp supercharged V8. But also heading for Geneva is a more lowly XF that might not grab the headlines but will probably do more for Jaguar’s bottom line than the XFR-S – the new Jaguar XF R-Sport. Available as an XF saloon or XF Sportbrake, the XF R-Sport is Jaguar’s take on stuff like BMW M Sport and Mercedes AMG Line (but without any power or suspension tweaks) and is aimed at owners and drivers who want the sporty looks of cars like the XFR but want it powered by something more prosaic.

First Jaguar F-Type customer cars leave Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich

The first proper sports car from Jaguar since the E-Type ended production almost 40 years ago (and it could be argued the later V12 E-Types were more a GT than a proper sports car), the F-Type is a hook to hang Jaguar’s future intent on – and it seems to be making a pretty good fist of it. It may not be cheap (you’ll pay £80k for a V8 F-Type) and it may be heavier than its lightweight aluminium underpinnings promise, but it looks great, goes very well and seems to have proper Jaguar ‘Soul’. A winning combination.