A Beast Of A Jaguar (Jaguar XJS History)

Member Name: kenjohn

Product:	Jaguar XJS History
Date:	03/04/08 (249 review reads)
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Advantages: A great British classic.

Disadvantages: Not in the same league as the e-Type it replaced.

The magnificent e-Type that Jaguar first produced back in 1961 took the motoring world by storm, but by the mid -1970's it was showing its age and a successor was badly needed.

That car was the Jaguar XJS which had all the necessary credentials to make it perhaps the best car in the world; a glorious V-12 engine, a suspension system that was second to none, and all the prestige of the Jaguar badge.

But somehow the XJS failed to recreate the magic that had made the e-Type so special. The styling seemed to grate on people's nerves, traditionalists be moaned the slab flanks, strange headlights, and non-chrome black bumpers, and hankered after Jaguar's traditional and distinctive grille and walnut veneer dashboard. Spots car drivers didn't like the styling or the cramped interior.

I suppose the main difference between the XJS and the e-Type which it replaced was that while the e-Type had been designed by one very talented person, the XJS was styled by consensus, and as a result ended up being somewhat of a mixture of different designer's ideas of what constituted a great sports car.

The XJS was built on a shortened chassis of the existing XJ12 sedan, so that it was unnecessary for Jaguar to come up with a totally new drive system, suspension, and brakes. The standard transmission was a Borg Warner three-speed automatic, and although Jaguar offered a choice of manual gearbox (shift change) only 352 customers ever took them up on the offer!

You couldn't fault the car's performance for a large 4-seater saloon. The acceleration was electric, and the car would go on to a top speed of nearly 160 mph. But while there was acres of space in the front two seats, the two in the rear were really only suitable for kids. (Or very small adults!) The interior design was lifted straight from the XJ series.

Jaguar upgraded the car in 1981, adding a larger 5.3 litre V-12 engine which gave it better fuel economy and far more power, and rechristened the car the XJS - HE. (High Efficiency) A cabriolet version with a rigid fold back roof was added in 1983 which was strictly a two-seater model, and this was produced up until 1988, when it was replaced by a top-of -the -range full convertible model with a electric folding roof. At the same time a TWR version was introduced which developed an awesome 333 bhp.

In 1991 Jaguar invested over £50 million in totally revamping the car in an attempt to prolong its shelf life. The rear end was redesigned and a completely new interior added, and a brand new AJ6 four-litre engine was introduced. Within 4 years this was upgraded to AJ16 specification (an extra 15 bhp), while the old V-12 engine was expanded to six litres.

The last XJS rolled off the production line in September 1996, which made it the longest lasting Jaguar model ever produced with over 21 years service. In this time around 112,000 cars were manufactured. A measure of its success was that the car that eventually replaced it, the XK8, was actually based on the XJS floor pan.

I've personally driven two or three different XJS Jaguars, albeit not since the early 1990's. It's always been an aspiration of mine to own one of these lovely cars, and I'll likely buy a restored model when I retire in 7 or 8 years time, and will only be doing a smallish annual mileage. (They're *VERY* heavy on petrol, especially the 5 and 6 litre versions.)

There are still a lot of these cars around, and they can now be purchased for very reasonable money. A mere £5,000 to around £15,000 will get you a car in good to excellent condition. Lots of companies specialise in their restoration.

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© KenJ April 2008

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FOOTNOTE

Note the category listing. (Jaguar XJS - Auto History) This was a suggestion of mine that means a car buff (like me) can now write about cars they like without necessarily having owned the vehicle, as it's a review of the *HISTORY* of the car, rather than a review based on actual ownership.

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Summary: A classic British sports car.

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