Jaguar XK leaves the lineup

Production of the Jaguar XK stretched from 1996 with the XK8 and will wrap up as the final 50 limited edition XK models roll off the assembly line this summer. The farewell XKs will be branded as "Final Fifty Limited Edition" cars, and will carry the same specification as the current XKR model, along with some added features that celebrate the history of Jaguar and the evolution of the brand's grand touring coupes and convertibles. Under the hood, a supercharged 510-hp 5.0-liter V8 is capable of bringing the XK to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds according to Jag, and an active exhaust system helps ensure the engine note remains prominent.

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.

Mercedes-Benz SLS prepped to go GT3 racing

Mercedes-Benz AMG pulled the wraps off its new race car on Monday in Oaxaca, Mexico, scene of a commemoration of Mercedes' victory in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. The new SLS GT3 is a modified Mercedes-Benz SLS intended to meet FIA homologation requirements for the GT3 class in series throughout the world. While it's not known what the production car will look like when it starts going to customers either this fall--according to the press release--or "before the start of the 2011 racing season," according to AMG's Thomas Rappel, the prototype shown in Oaxaca had a full roll cage, a new front skirt with splitter, rear diffusers and an enormous rear wing.