Here’s a pretty picture to start your day off right. The 2011 Jaguar XKR is heart-stoppingly gorgeous and it’ll hit 60 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds and reach 174 mph in a straight line, thanks to upgraded transmission and engine programming. Motive force is provided by Jaguar’s venerable 5.0-liter supercharged V8, good for 510 horsepower. And with a base price of only $96,000, even your run-of-the-mill plastic surgeon can afford one.

Source: Exhaust Note, Jaguar

With September over and fall fast approaching, it’s time once again to prepare for the season of crushing debt. All too happy to accommodate is the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, which every year features an exclusive edition of the coming year’s hottest luxury vehicle. This year’s debutante is the 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition, which actually differs very little from the 2010 XJL scheduled to hit the U.S. early next year.

As a matter of fact, as often is the case with the Christmas Book cars, the only features distinguishing the Neiman Marcus edition from the Filthy Plebe Edition will probably go unnoticed by everyone save for your valet and your in-house mechanic. The exclusive Celestial Black (looks Hella Blue to us) paint job will likely be mistaken for whatever pedestrian OEM choice Jaguar offers and the unique leather and Zebrano wood accent combination probably won’t flutter any eyelashes at your yacht club, but the discreet plaque certifying your Neiman Marcus XJL as 1 of 50 will definitely make the $105,000 purchase worth it. Well, that and the 470-horsepower supercharged 5.0L V8 under the hood.

Whatever you feel about the new wrapper of the venerable XJ sedan, we think you’d be hard pressed to find fault with the new interior, which is both visually appealing and a tactile delight. We were wowed by the combination of colors and materials that greeted us inside the silver demonstration car on Pebble Beach’s row of manufacturer displays. Make the jump for a gallery and more of our thoughts on the car.

Come live vicariously through us as we, the most prestigious automotive blog in the world, grace the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with our stately presences. We’re sure to be the star attractions – forget the live unveiling of several never-before-seen new cars, and the endless rows of priceless works of automotive art sprawled out on the golf course greens like so many unobtanium sandtraps. Surely Jay Leno and the other celebrities will probably manage to jostle themselves into the photos of our expert appraisals of the class frontrunners, but we won’t be too upset. We’ll take a break from being the life of the Concours every so often to update you, our faithful readers. So check back often, and follow us at http://twitter.com/ridelust and in our Pebble Beach live coverage to catch all of the latest updates.

Land Rover LRX Concept

The revitalization of Britain’s two most storied automakers by Indian-owned Tata Motors can not begin soon enough. Following news last month that the companies had lost a combined $501.5 million, it is not surprising that now they have announced that 300 jobs and production of the X-Type will be cut. Can the LRX stop the bleeding?

There are few cars that drive lightly into Ridelust’s fantasy garage … but we’d surely scrap a few of them to make way for this ex-Phil Hill Jaguar C-Type racer. XKC-007 was raced extensively, and won at Elkhart Lake (the first win for a C-Type), Torrey Pines, and the famous Watkins Glen. Now the car is up for auction at Pebble Beach next month, and we’re thinking it’s going to bring a fortune. More details and the press release below.

Tuesday we provided you with a taste of the all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ courtesy of a leak. Now, the dam has burst wide open. Hit the jump for all the details and a huge gallery of the newest flagship Jaguar.

Tata Execs Force Smiles Amid Financial Downturn

Give Ford credit, their timing in unloading Jaguar and Land Rover could not have been better. Despite dwindling sales and the dark looming clouds of factories being shuttered, Tata Motors has finally introduced its Jaguar and Land Rover brands in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing automobile markets. Unfortunately, saddled with the two of the biggest money drains in the auto world, Tata is reporting an annual loss for the first time in eight years. How much have Jaguar and Land Rover cost Tata?

You know what they say, “Loose lips get clicks.” Someone (you guessed it, NetCarShow) has decided to break the embargo on the new 2010 Jaguar XJ sedan. As expected, styling draws heavily on Jaguar’s new design language evident in the recent XJ and XF models. The coupe-like profile reminds me of a Rapide. What’s interesting is the new tail lamp styling which is nothing like the other cars, sort of like a Lincoln MKS. Expect power to come from a 5.0L V8 for the XJ and a supercharged version of the same engine for the R. Hit the jump for the rest of the goodness.

In a not-too-distant distopian future where roving motorcycle gangs run over innocent Aussies and hoard gasoline, the law will need a vehicle that can bring law and order to the British Commonwealth. That vehicle is the Jaguar XF Diesel S Pursuit Special.