2009 Jaguar XF-R Powerslides Up The Hill At Goodwood

Mark Arnold — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

With a suspected 5.0-liter supercharged V8 making around 500 HP, the 2009 Jaguar XF-R has no trouble smoking its tires. The black cat crossed the path of spectators at this weekend's Goodwood Festival Of Speed, where Jaguar head of vehicle development Mike Cross power-slid the car up the hill. Nothing better than a bit of hoonage to properly show off a car during its first official public appearance. Even if we're told by the folks at GTSpirit people barely seemed to even notice it at all. We think they'll notice it at the official unveil of the super-cat, which we're hearing will be at the British Motor Show later this month. UPDATE: Thanks to tipster Tom, who had a chance to speak to Mike Cross, we've got a few photos of the front showing the best and clearest shots yet of the catty beast after the jump. They totally need to offer that mask as a check box option, don't they?

[via PistonHeads, GTSpirit]

Many Spy Photographers Died to Bring us This Picture of the Taillight of the New Opel Insignia

Ray Wert — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST

Much as we expected when we noticed some very Insignia concept car-like testers out this summer, Opel's just announced that Insignia will be the Vectra's replacement name for the new version of the mid-size set to debut at the 2008 London Motor Show. Opel revealed the name — and a taillight — by taking a page right from Hyundai's playbook, revealing a humorous video that reveals nothing but the driver's side taillight of the new Opel Insignia. Well, we guess we'll just add that shot to the other ones we've been collecting below. We kinda wish the General's German brand had actually hired the same lass from the Hyundai Genesis Coupe concept reveal we showed you earlier today. But we do have to give Opel some credit for coming up with a cool way to show off their new-look and new-name mid-size — although now we think we know why Jim Dunne retired. Actually wait, Jim Dunne's still alive? Who knew? Full press release below the jump.

New Opel Insignia: New Name for a New Era
World premiere of new mid-size Opel in July 2008

Rüsselsheim. Opel's next-generation range of mid-size cars promises a radical step forward. The new model family, which makes its world premiere at the London Motor Show in July 2008, sets technology and design standards for the Opel brand and mid-size segment. To lead off the proceedings, Opel today announced the new model's name: Opel Insignia. The new Insignia family will be built at Opel's home plant in Rüsselsheim, one of the most state-of-the-art automobile production facilities in the world.

"Dynamic performance is one of the Opel brand's core values. In the new Opel Insignia, this defining characteristic is realized by sophisticated powertrain technology, active safety and the interface between driver and car. The Insignia's level of comfort and environmental friendliness is unrivaled even among considerably more expensive competitors," says Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer, General Motors Europe. With the Insignia, Opel continues pursuing its strategy of making advanced technology affordable for more customers.

When it comes to the new car's design, Visser says, "A closer look at our groundbreaking GTC concept car gives a good idea of how exciting Opel's new design language will be."

The beginning of Opel's modern mid-size heritage dates back to 1970 with the launch of the Ascona, which sold 4.4 million units over three generations. This was succeeded by the Vectra in 1988, heralding a new era of innovative models from Opel. With almost 5.5 million models sold to date, the Opel Vectra is one of the key players in the mid-size segment.

Jalopnik: 2008 london motor show

2009 Jaguar XF-R Powerslides Up The Hill At Goodwood

Many Spy Photographers Died to Bring us This Picture of the Taillight of the New Opel Insignia