The coming Jaguar XF-R has been caught in the valley of death. It was accompanied by a Jaguar XJ mule and shepherded by a fleet of Land Rovers charged with blocking the all-seeing eye of someone's Sony Handycam. Fortunately for us, they failed. The driver of this particular prototype XF-R couldn't keep his foot off the throttle, as at different points in the video you hear the growl of a big displacement V8 and the accompanying scream of a supercharger. Other than vents in the hood to let that 5-liter V8 breathe, the body modifications look to be exceptionally tame. With 500 horsepower, however, its acceleration should be quite the opposite.
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As far as we know, the 2009 Nissan 370Z is due to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show later this year, so it comes as no surprise that testing is well underway. Our new friend Ryen was able to briefly catch a cloaked mule on highway 60, leading through Phoenix, Arizona yesterday, and although the video after the jump is brief, the VQ37HR-powered coupe does look a bit shorter than its predecessor, lending credence to the rumors we've heard since 2007.
As reported previously, the 370Z will be powered by the same 3.7-liter V6 found in the Infiniti G37, so output should be up and over 330 hp, with torque cresting the 270 lb.-ft. mark. The new Z will be shortened by five to seven inches, losing about 220 pounds in the process.
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BMW is hard at work on the replacement for the current Z4 roadster, and a developmental test mule has been caught on video running laps around the vaunted Nurburgring. Despite the heavy camouflage, we can tell from the footage – which seems to follow the test mule around the Ring and into a nearby garage with conspicuous "look at me" accuracy – that the new roadster, due in 2010, will retain the current model's long nose and short rear decklid. Styling is expected to follow the theme set down by the Concept CS unveiled in Shanghai last year, but the real clincher is that the new roadster will feature a retractable hard top. That means it will be heavier than the outgoing model, but will keep up on the marketplace with hard-top competition from above (Mercedes SLK) and below (Mazda MX-5). Follow the jump to watch the video.
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Sound the alarm and turn up your speakers – Ferrari has a security breach. Someone managed to get a good vantage point with a video camera over the company's private Fiorano test track in Maranello and caught the oft-photographed test mule of the upcoming new Ferrari model lapping the track at full throttle.
Known internally as project F149 and alternatively referred to externally as the Dino or GT California, the new model is expected to feature four seats and a retractable hard top. Although rumor has it that Maserati may be delegated the assembly (including the 4.7-liter V8 it makes for the GranTurismo S and Alfa 8C), this beast sounds every bit like a purebred stallion. Follow the jump to see for yourself.
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There's something rather ironic about finding a spy video taken of a James Bond movie under production that makes us wonder if footage wasn't captured on an Omega watch or exploding pen. Just the same, as we reported late last year, the eminently desirable Aston Martin DBS will be returning to the silver screen for the second in the new series of Bond movies, and now we have the footage to prove it.
Called Quantum of Solace, the movie will also feature the upcoming new Ford Ka. In the first of two videos after the jump, you'll see a DBS with a huge camera rig fixed to it, with another DBS in the background and the wagon version of the new Ford Mondeo which 007 drove in Casino Royale. Oh, and turn up the speakers: you don't want to miss this most original of motion picture soundtracks.
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The Ponycar Industrial Complex has been in full reconaissance mode and scanning the universe for Camaros, and agents have located a Camaro SS on a winding mountain road. It's deliciously ironic that the spotters were rolling a Mustang when they were strafed by a bestriped mule in white. It looks good out in the wild, intimidating, even – quite appropriate for a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.
Alfa Romeo has been turning out some impossibly beautiful cars. Unfortunately, most of the line-up is lacking the grunt to back up its killer looks, with the 8C Competizione floating beyond reproach atop the range and a huge gap down to the standard production models. Alfa is apparently looking to bridge that gap, however, with the 159 GTA.
In the video after the jump, you'll see footage of a 159 decked out with enormous AMG Black Series-style vents and four squat tailpipes from which you can clearly hear a monstrous engine resonate. The test mule, spotted near the Nurburgring in Germany, looks like a further development of the one spied last summer. Although curiously, rather than wearing camouflage, it's all decked out in big Alfa Romeo decals as if to scream "look at me" in true Italian supercar fashion. Initial reports suggested the GTA could get a slightly detuned version of the V8 found in the Ferrari F430, although either the 4.2-liter V8 from the Maserati GranTurismo and Quattroporte or the 4.7-liter unit from the 8C and GranTurismo S (both of which were also developed by Ferrari) would probably be the safer bet. Either way, the Italians are putting the likes of the Audi RS4, BMW M3, Lexus IS-F and Mercedes C63 AMG on notice, while the prospect of similar power for the Brera and Spider hangs in the balance.
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