Rule Britannia! PM’s New Jaguar
Presented by Elle, no less…
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via Current + PistonHeads ::: Prime Minister Cameron’s Jaguar
FOR those monitoring the British elections and their aftermath, car fanatics and Jaguarphiles alike have noted the bevvy of previous generation XJ sedans ferrying the outgoing and incoming PMs to and from Downing Street.
This doubtlessly marks good publicity for Jaguar as Coventry have had two of their finest older generations on display – the X308 and the aluminum X350 – both in gleaming form.
That said, there were worried grumblings from some over what car the next prime ministerial ride would be. Surely, it couldn’t be something so lavish as a Bentley or Rolls? The tax aggrieved, recession-slammed public wouldn’t wear it.
Rover no longer makes cars. Bristol’s best is an esoteric super car. Morgans would be subject to the threat of attack by terrorists and termites. The new Audi A8? The PM riding in a German limo, what?
Perish the thought.
Ah, the new XJ! Perfect choice, if not perfect timing. It’s been reported that the armored PM-spec XJ costs as much as £200,000 ($295,000); £120K more than the standard kit XJ. UK government’s paying Bentley prices after all!
According to PistonHeads, No. 10 took delivery of the new X351 generation Jag on May 11th and the official car of state is now on display before Her Majesty’s peoples, the Commonwealth, and the whole of the world.
Hooray for Jaguar. Rule Britannia.
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
Leo | May 19, 2010 | Reply
oh,suprise!it’s black.wonder why…sure do miss the sight of a P5B outside no.10 though.Could of been a 75(best in it’s original form 99-04) at the turn of the century too…not that I don’t like/love the Jag but i love Rover more.
RJR | May 19, 2010 | Reply
It’s not the official “car of state” since the prime minister is only head of government. Queen Elizabeth is Head of State. She moves about in the royal Bentley limousine with removable roof panels so that Her Majesty can be more readily seen by her subjects — quite a bit more stately than a mere Jag.
G | May 19, 2010 | Reply
RJR, let’s call it ‘a car of state’ then. And we shall tolerate no withering criticism of Jaguar as a marque here. For years, Bentleys were lesser Rolls-Royces and remain as Bugatti once said “fast trucks”. The queen’s model looks like a bug eyed Jag S-Type from the late 90s.
In the post war history of the automobile, no car company has captured the essence of grace quite like Jaguar.
John | May 20, 2010 | Reply
Well, there’s certainly egg on my face – I should never have doubted it! I even saw the deputy PM getting out of one yesterday, so I can’t pretend it isn’t happening. I wonder what will become of the previous X308 Jaguar – perhaps I should make them an offer for it?