Jaguar Unveils Prodigious V12…In 1972

Purring by the power of twelve

By John Sweeney

TO the British in the 1970s, the V12 engine was exclusively the preserve of highly exotic sports cars, so the announcement that Jaguar intended to fit one into the XJ saloon in 1972 must have caused quite a stir amongst the predominantly traditionalist British automotive press back then.

In keeping with company tradition, Jaguar had already fitted the engine to the well-established E-Type for public reception in 1971, though Jaguar had more ambitious plans in mind for the V12.

Chiefly, the company wanted to fit the engine into the XJ, as an option over the worthy but venerable XK engine. Overnight, the engine transplant turned one of the world’s most respected executive saloons into the quietest, most comfortable performance saloons then known to man.

The XJ12′s engine had such prodigious torque that, in manual E-Type guise, it was possible to place the car in fifth gear, release the clutch, start the engine and move off from standstill without so much as a shudder from the drivetrain.

Moreover, the engine was virtually silent in operation, save for the faintest turbine-like whoosh under hard acceleration. You wouldn’t have an awfully long time to listen for it, however, if you didn’t wish to have your licence taken away and cut into tiny pieces by a seriously jealous judge.

In fact, in their February 1976 edition, Autocar posted a 0-60 time of only 6.9 seconds, and a top speed of 153 MPH, though the fuel economy was a dispiriting 15.4 MPG.

Still, you can’t have everything…