Jaguar has launched the new E-Pace SUV with a bang by recreating a famous James Bond stunt and performing the longest barrel roll ever. Guinness World Records adjudicators were on hand at the performance, held at London’s Excel, to officially hand over the certificate.

Part of the global reveal event for the new E-Pace small SUV, stunt driver Terry Grant was behind the wheel of the record-breaking car: he can now add Furthest Barrel Roll in a Production Vehicle to his other Guinness World Record, that of the Highest Loop-the-Loop – also performed in a Jaguar.

This was a formidable challenge: not many locations in the UK are big enough to house the record attempt. It required a 160-metre run-up and more than 15 metres between take-off and landing, during which Grant experienced forces of 5.5-g.

The E-Pace twisted through a 270-degree roll and landed on all four wheels still travelling rapidly: Jaguar spent months calculating the exact speed Grant had to be travelling at before take-off, using CAD modelling and production-spec E-Pace data.

“As far as I am aware no production car has ever cleanly completed a bona-fide barrel roll and therefore it has always been an ambition of mine to perform one ever since I was a boy,” said Grant.

“After driving the Jaguar F-Pace in the record-breaking loop-the-loop, it has been amazing to launch the next chapter of the Pace story in an even more dramatic dynamic feat.”

Grant’s first Jaguar World Record was set back in 2015, when he helped launch the F-Pace with that iconic loop-the-loop drive in Frankfurt. This E-Pace stunt surely topped that though, and Grant was clearly ecstatic by the end.

DJ Pete Tong later performed – and even he was impressed. “Jaguar breaking the Guinness World Record for the barrel roll… seeing this stunt recreated right in front of us… it was mind-blowing.”

The officials agreed. “This amazing feat really was a sight to behold,” said Guinness World Records adjudicator Pravin Patel. “While I’ve seen the barrel roll stunt in film, witnessing this incredible feat in real life was something pretty special.”

The barrel roll was first performed in the 1974 Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun. It was the world’s first computer-modelled car stunt, and an incredibly complicated routine to perform: there are umpteen parameters and the original routine all had to be performed in one take. Apparently, they nailed it on the first shot…

Jaguar is taking on the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 with its new baby SUV, the E-Pace. Jag’s second-ever production SUV, it aims to repeat the success of the F-Pace and give Jaguar sales yet another significant uplift. Priced from £28,500, configurators are live now and ordering opens later in 2017.

Aiming to bring some F-Type sports car style into the small SUV sector, the new E-Pace is derived from a platform also used by the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque. Jaguar has fully tuned it to, we’re told, give it handling more akin to a hot hatch, plus contemporary levels of emissions and fuel economy.

An all-Ingenium, all-four-cylinder engine line-up is based around a 2.0-litre turbodiesel and 2.0-litre turbo petrol. Pick either 150hp, 180hp or 240hp diesels, plus 250hp or 300hp petrols. Most will have a nine-speed automatic transmission with four-wheel drive. There’s also an entry-level front-wheel-drive manual, and range-topping models with active all-wheel drive.

It’s fast, if you want it to be: the 300hp petrol will do 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and power on to a 151mph top speed – itself electronically limited. But it’s also economical, with Jaguar claiming 60mph and 124g/km CO2 for the 150hp front-wheel drive diesel model.

Active Driveline technology is a first for Jaguar. Using tech also seen on the Ford Focus RS, it’s an all-wheel drive machine that can deliver a rear-biased feel – allowing drivers, says Jaguar, “to initiate power-on oversteer and maintain a controlled drift”. How much fun does that sound! It’s fitted to 300hp petrol and 240hp diesel models: keen drivers, you know the models you need to go after.

The E-Pace is a roomy Jaguar, with full five-seat capabilities. At 4395mm long, it has almost 900mm of rear legroom and a 577-litre boot with the seats up. Each passenger has their own USB socket, while there are four 12-volt sockets and 4G wifi connectivity for up to eight devices.

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Jaguar’s internal name for the E-Pace was ‘cub’. It helped guide the firm when creating a smaller SUV more focused on cheeky character than graceful elegance. In honour of this, Jaguar cubs feature on the finished model: there’s a cub graphic in the windscreen surround, and also the puddle light that shines on the ground when you unlock the car. “People love it,’ says Jaguar design director Ian Callum.

The styling is the standout. In an exclusive briefing ahead of the E-Pace reveal, Jaguar design director Ian Callum said his objective was “not to create a mini-me of F-Pace: it needed its own character. The F-Type is the heartland of Jaguar design: we picked up cues from that instead, which helped make E-Pace sportier.”

The E-Pace has short overhangs, a bold but carefully-sized Jaguar grille and headlights that mimic the F-Type. It has a long nose and, to balance it, a short rear. The side windowline is a similar shape to an F-Type, as is the kick in the rear, below which sits a muscular, prominent rear haunch. This area is beautifully shaped and gives the E-Pace a strong, bulging look, helped by taut, tight surfaces.

Body sides are simple with two strong feature lines. There’s no cladding on the bottom, but a shape pressed into the panels instead. “It’s confident, simple,” said Callum. “It’s one of the nicest features of the car for me.”

At the rear, the E-Pace is clearly influenced again by the F-Type coupe, to its benefit. “Note the ‘chicane’ light line in the tail light graphics,” says Callum. “This is a new Jaguar character feature, coming to future cars.” Meanwhile, massive 21-inch wheels are available. They look fantastic, although Callum does admit most cars will be sold with 19-inch or 20-inch wheels.

The interior represents another giant leap by Jaguar. It makes the XE look several generations old: the wraparound design is modelled on the F-Type but is much more contemporary, and nicely detailed. It’s more sophisticated than other Jaguars and shows real attention to detail. Jaguar needed to up its game with its interiors, and the E-Pace is proof it has.

Note the stick-shift automatic gearlever, like in an F-Type. Jaguar is not abandoning its rotary controller, but Callum felt a stick was more fitting here – not least because a six-speed manual version, using an ultra-short throw gearshift, is also available. The nine-speed automatic comes with gearshift paddles on R-Dynamic Pack models.

Jaguar claims the E-Pace is as roomy as larger competitors, both front and rear. Boasting a longer wheelbase than its Land Rover siblings helps here – and we know how roomy they are. There’s more rear legroom than some SUVs from the class above, insists Jaguar. And the boot is so wide, it can swallow a folded buggy, a full set of golf clubs or six flight suitcases: fold the 60:40 split seats and it expands to 1,234 litres.

The E-Pace has at least a 10-inch Touch Pro infotainment screen, with swipe, pinch and zoom functionality. With a quad core processor, the in-house system is the most sophisticated setup ever offered in a Jaguar. Customers can complement it with a 12.3-inch TFT instrument display, which is so configurable, it can even display 3D satellite mapping, like in an Audi.

Jaguar acknowledges it’s been off the pace in terms of interior practicality as well. The E-Pace shows Jaguar is listening. The box between the front seats can hold two 1-litre bottles laid flat, and more. It has a little strap to snugly hold the tablet devices it can swallow. There’s a net beneath the lid to hold small lose items. If this isn’t enough, the glovebox takes 10 litres and the door bins take another 10 litres each.

Safety is a big deal with the E-Pace. ‘The safest Jaguar ever,’ claims the firm. The only car in its class to have a pedestrian airbag. One equipped with a full suite of active safety tech including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection and a Jaguar-patented deployable active bonnet.

The Jaguar E-Pace will be built in two locations – neither of which will be in the UK. European manufacturing is handled under contract by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, while Chinese models will be built at the new JLR plant in Changshu. Why isn’t it made in Britain? Simply because the three JLR plants in the UK are already operating at full capacity – and none of them has any capacity to expand further.

The base manual-gearbox front-wheel drive 150hp diesel starts from £28,500, and Jaguar will offer the E-Pace in two key model variants – standard and R-Design: you’ll spot the latter from their more aggressive front and rear designs. There are three trim packs to add on, plus the choice of five engines, and a plethora of options.

For the first year of production, Jaguar is also offering an ultra-rich First Edition variant, priced from £47,800. This has either 180hp diesel or 250hp petrol engines, both with nine-speed automatic. Choose from three colours, Yulong White, Santorini Black or exclusive Caldera Red. If previous Jaguar First Edition models are anything to go by, these are sure to be collectable…

More Jaguars on Motoring Research:

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In the case of The Manor of the Automobile – or Le Manoir de L’Automobile – looks can be deceptive. Arriving from the pretty Brittany village of Lohéac – and ignoring the obvious clue of the circuit on the right-hand side – you might think you’ve arrived at a farmhouse for Cidre Breton and crepes.

But behind the pretty facade is one of the most remarkable car museums in Europe, with more than 400 vehicles of all types, ages and nationalities on display. Our recent visit to the Conservatoire Citroen presented us with the perfect excuse to drop in on this magnificent museum.

Through the dimly-lit reception area and past the obligatory shop, you’re presented with a hall of French veteran and vintage cars, appropriately named the Hall of Ancestors.

Around thirty years ago, The Manor of the Automobile was still a farm. Michel Hommell, who had been collecting cars since the age of 18, purchased the site with a view to housing his ever-growing collection in one place. It took 15 years to complete, with the vehicles displayed in 15,000m2 of exhibition space.

More French fancies on Motoring Research: 

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Turn the first corner and you’re greeted with the sight of a pair of Citroen Traction Avants. It’s considered to be the godfather of the modern automobile and was the first mass-produced front-wheel drive car.

A pair of Panhards

Today, the Panhard name exists as a part of Renault Trucks Defense, but the French carmaker stopped building cars in the late 60s. Some 130,000 PL17s were sold, before production ceased in 1965.

Alpine

The display of Alpine cars is the first hint that the museum might be about to send your jaw hurtling towards the polished floor. It’s a sea of Alpine Blue and yellow headlights, flanked by backlit dealership logos.

Alpine A110

The Alpine A110 was based on the Renault 8 Gordini and proved to be a formidable force on the world rally stage. A new version was unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show and will hit the roads before the end of the year.

Jaguar XJR-11

From the days when tobacco sponsorship was still permitted and delivered a number of iconic deliveries. The Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-11 must be up there with the Marlboro McLaren and John Player Special Lotus.

Audi Quattro S1

The Manor’s Group B display is worth the $12 entry fee alone. If the Audi Quattro S1 doesn’t grab you…

Nissan 240RS

How about this Nissan 240RS? The rear-wheel drive Group B rally car was powered by a 2.4-litre engine and was Nissan’s entry from 1983 to 1985.

Lancia 037

It’s a Martini Racing overload, with Markku Alén’s Lancia 037 and a Lancia Delta S4. Alén and Lancia were joined at the hip throughout the 1980s.

Renault 5 Maxi Turbo

In 1986, Carlos Sainz and Antonio Boto finished second in the Spanish Rally Championship in this Renault 5 Maxi Turbo. Check out the videos on YouTube for the vehicle in action.

MG Metro 6R4

Also in 1986, Didier Auriol won the French National Championship in this MG Metro 6R4.

Ford RS200

Kalle Grundel drove this Ford RS200 to third place in the 1986 Swedish Rally, his best ever Group B finish.

Peugeot 205 T16

It needs no introduction, does it? The Peugeot 205 T16 won the World Rally Championship in 1985 and 1986.

Le Manoir de L’Automobile also includes halls dedicated to Ferrari, Lamborghini, French cars, Formula 1 and more. Look out for our full gallery on MSN Cars soon.

Aston Martin has presented its Valkyrie hypercar, designed by F1 legend Adrian Newey, in near-production form, and also treated us to a look at the production-intent interior for the first time. Expected to cost well over £2 million, with just 150 to be built, the Valkyrie is set to go into production late on in 2018.

• Aston Martin Red Bull hypercar revealed

Until then, Red Bull’s Newey is going to continue tweaking the design as part of his obsessive approach to perfecting aerodynamics: the Valkyrie is likely to be the most extreme F1-inspired road car the world has ever seen, one that will produce unprecedented levels of downforce at speed.

Aston Martin exterior design director Miles Nurnberger said: “I would say we’re around 95 per cent of the way there with the exterior design. Much of what you see is actually the structure of the car, so this had to be signed-off relatively early in the project. The remaining areas of non-structural bodywork are still subject to evolution and change as Adrian [Newey] continues to explore way of finding more downforce.”

One of the biggest changes to the Valkyrie compared to earlier models are the openings in the body surface between cabin and front wheelarches. While crunching the numbers and running umpteen computer models, Newey found they delivered significant improvements in front downforce. So he insisted they were included: over to the design team to integrate them…

“Ordinarily the last thing we’d want to do to one of our surfaces is cut a hole in it, but these vents work the front wings so much harder that they’ve found a significant gain in front downforce,” said Nurnberger.

“The fact that they are so effective gives them their own functional beauty, but we’ve finessed them without impacting on their functionality. That they also serve as windows through which to view the fabulous wing section front wishbones is a welcome bonus!”

Inside the Aston Martin Valkyrie

The Valkyrie’s interior sits within a teardrop-shaped upper surface and accessed via twin gullwing doors. It’s shaped around two venturi tunnels either side, within which great quantities of air are drawn through the car to feed the massive rear diffuser and create “extraordinary” levels of downforce.

Perhaps inevitably, it’s thus not going to be the largest hypercar interior in the world, but Aston says it will still take two 98th percentile adults, helped by space-saving seats being mounted directly to the tub, and occupants sitting in a laid-back, ‘feet-up’ driving position similar to an F1 racer.

Aston’s interior design director Matt Hill admits “we’ve been fighting for millimetres everywhere, but the battle has been worth it, as it’s been fantastic seeing customers try the interior buck for size. They love the ritual of getting in and how it feels to be sat behind the wheel.

“They’re also genuinely surprised at how the car just seems to swallow them. You really do have to sit in it to believe there is genuine space for two large adults.”

Like a racing car, all the controls are mounted on the steering wheel, and there’s just the one OLED infotainment display in the centre of the car. To make getting in and out easier, and give Valkyrie owners the ultimate desktop trinket, the steering wheel is removable.

Panoramic visibility has been a big focus of the design team, which is why you’ll see two additional screens in the images: these are fed by rearward-facing cameras and replace traditional door mirrors. They’re absolutely essential, too – because of the wraparound cockpit, the Valkyrie doesn’t have a rear window (so legally doesn’t need to have a central rear view mirror either).

Aston Martin Valkyrie: the details

Befitting a genuine Adrian Newey design, the Valkyrie is packed with exquisite details. Take the centre high mounted stop light: it’s set within the tip of the Valkyrie’s central shark fin aero device, and is a tiny 5.5mm wide and 9.5mm high. Or, as Aston proudly points out, the world’s smallest centre high mounted stop light.

Aston Martins always have the ‘wings’ badge on the nose. But Newey felt a normal badge was too heavy, while Aston reckoned a sticker wasn’t posh or high tech enough for the Valkyrie.

The solution? A chemical etched aluminium badge, one 70 microns thick that’s 99.4 percent lighter than a normal badge. 30 percent thinner than a human hair, the badge is stuck on the painted body then covered with smooth lacquer.

Headlights are also up to 40 percent lighter than the world’s lightest headlights currently in production. That’s because they’ve been minimised down to just low and high beam units attached to an anodised aluminium frame – one that, as it’s exposed, is a work of art in itself, says Aston.

The one thing we don’t yet know much of is the Valkyrie’s engine power. The Cosworth V12 will be paired with an electric hybrid drivetrain, to produce well over 1000hp. Given how the target kerbweight is 1000kg, this means performance is likely to be sensational: add in the Valkyrie’s amazing aerodynamics for what could be the most amazing driver’s car the world has ever seen.

More hypercars on Motoring Research

•  The 221mph electric hypercar Hammond crashed: what you need to know
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• The Grand Tour season 2: what we know

“Watch this,” says Richard Hammond at the end of the 38-second trailer for the second series of The Grand Tour. He is about to go hillclimbing in the all-electric Rimac Concept One hypercar, and if you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ll know what happened next.

He could, of course, be referring to the second coming of Amazon Prime’s flagship motoring show, which is returning for a new season later this year. Amazon will be hoping to flog a shed-load of subscriptions off the back of Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May, and we doubt that the powers that be would have lost too much sleep over the Hamster’s close shave with the Rimac.

There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right? Especially when you’re hoping to shift Amazon Prime membership at £79.99 a year.

The trailer – which is available exclusively to Prime disciples – reveals very little but says quite a lot about the second season. It’s chaotic, manic, OTT and promises more of the same. Oh, and the goat has gone, to be replaced by a monkey.

“A second round of monkey business is just around the corner,” proclaims the frenzied teaser, as it builds up to Hammond’s Swiss incident. It’s not quite the infamous Top Gear’s Patagonia special, complete with H982 FKL number plate and pelting rocks, but it’s sure to put bums on sofas come the autumn, when The Grand Tour is set to return.

Living up to its name, the show will visit the four corners of the globe, dropping in on Switzerland, the grasslands of Mozambique and the world’s largest shopping mall in Dubai. Oh, and let’s not forget the UK’s Eboladrome.

Arctic Monkeys

As for the cars – this is a car show, after all – the trailer reveals the following: Mercedes-AMG GT R, McLaren 720S, Audi TT RS, Lancia 037, Jaguar XJ6 and the Rimac Concept One. Did we mention the Rimac?

Clarkson posted a photo of the Jaguar XJ6 on his Instagram account, with the caption: “My Easter Sunday”. The runway is located in Colorado, and the trailer would suggest he was about to head up into the snow-capped mountains.

The appearance of the Lancia 037 would suggest some kind of Group B tribute, as highlighted by Clarkson’s DriveTribe post, featuring the rally legend lined up alongside an Audi Quattro. Needless to say we doubt these cars will end up being crushed/drowned/torched/wrecked (delete as applicable).

Monkey Man

Aside from that it’s as you were. If you like your motoring show served with tanks, aircraft, pick-up trucks and uncontrollable laughter, you’re in for a treat. If you weren’t a fan of the last series, we doubt this will change your mind.

Over a third of the trailer is devoted to a monkey wandering across the screen before exiting stage right with a number two in his hand. That’s the figure 2, for those with a filthy mind.

With Hammond’s crash, we expect the season premiere to be delayed, with The Grand Tour landing in November 2017.

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Ford has announced the facelifted 2018 Mustang range will feature the tyre-smoking Line-Lock function on all models, including the eco-optimised 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbo. Previously, Line-Lock was only available on the 5.0-litre V8 GT.

What’s more, Ford is also introducing a new 12-inch digital instrument display – complete with an animation of a spinning wheel creating plumes of smoke when Line-Lock is engaged. Proudly, Ford calls this an “industry first”.

The detail of the animation is exquisite: note how the smoke even drifts over the rev counter bar and speedo…

Also note the big red ‘Track Use Only’ disclaimer: Ford insists this is not a feature for road use.

The facelifted 2018 Mustang range, which is headed to U.S. customers first before rolling out in the UK later, will also offer a 10-speed automatic gearbox for the first time, alongside the six-speed manual: again, you can have Line-Lock on either. There’s a smoother new look front and rear, engine power upgrades and, for the GT, both MagneRide adaptive dampers and active valve performance exhaust options available.

The 2018 Mustang will continue to offer the driver-assist functions that recently improved its Euro NCAP rating from two stars to three stars. There’s a possibility this facelifted model could lead to further improvements if and when it’s retested by Euro NCAP at some point in the future, too.

Ford recruited Vaughan Gittin Jr. reigning Formula Drift Champion, to demonstrate Line-Lock. “You’ve got to love these rad things Ford is doing,” he said. “Who would have thought that we would see an EcoBoost Mustang producing 15 seconds of fury like this?”

What is Line-Lock? A tradition of drag racers, that’s what: ahead of the start line, the furiously spin their rear tyres to heat the rubber and gain extra traction. Ford argues it’s useful here for amateur racers competing in drag races, helping them clock more consistent times.

Really, though, it’s just one big, wonderful, smoke-laden showcase.

It’s operated by the steering wheel buttons: scroll through menus to activate it and the all-electronic system first builds up pressure in the front brakes. Press another button to hold this for 15 seconds and the driver can then hit the accelerator pedal and spin the rear wheels with abandon, while the car itself remains firmly in place.

Perhaps check your local tyre fitter has a set of fresh rear rubber in stock before you indulge, though.

More Mustang on Motoring Research:

• Ford Mustang Euro NCAP improves to three stars
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• Ford to build an electric SUV and hybrid Mustang