Jaguar Lightweight E-Type makes a comeback after 50 years – 6 new Lightweights to be built

6 new Jaguar Lightweight E-Types on the way Even in 1963, car makers made ‘special editions’ of production cars, and one such car was the Jaguar Lightweight E-Type, a lightweight version of the then new production E-Type designed to take Jaguar racing. This was in the days before carbon fibre panels, so Jaguar built many of the body panels from aluminium and fitted an aluminium block version of the 3.8 litre engine from the production E-Type with 300bhp (55bhp more than the road car), fuel injection and a ZF 5-speed gearbox. The Lightweight E-Type wasn’t a spectacular success on the track, and Jaguar ended up building just 12 of the original planned run of 18.

Porsche to add 1,000 employees

To keep pace with its planned model expansion and sales targets, Porsche AG will add more than 1,000 employees by 2015, Automotive News Europe has learned from Volkswagen Group sources. About 500 jobs will be added for production of Porsche's new compact SUV, codenamed the Cajun, which will go on sale in 2013 in Europe and in North America about six months later. Porsche's supervisory board will make a decision on the production location of the Cajun in mid-March.

BMW to build plug-in hybrid sports coupe

BMW has thrown its hat into the eco-supercar ring by confirming plans to place the Vision EfficientDynamics concept into production. The futuristically styled plug-in hybrid was first revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in 2009. It is set to undergo an accelerated development program that aims to place the low-slung four-seater on sale in all of BMW's key world markets, including North America, by October 2013.