All Entries Tagged With: "Jaguar XJ"

Because 1984 Won’t Be Like 1984?

Illustrative example of an 80′s XJ in fine fettle.

By Gunnar Heinrich

NINETEEN thousand, five hundred dollars.

That’s the asking price on Hemmings Motor News for one “sage green” Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas with “111,000 original miles”.

Now, Hemmings is known for… ahem… price inflated listings.

This is usually due to a) overzealous sellers looking to turn a steep profit or b) emotionally attached collectors having to part with their treasures.

But considering that the Jag in question hails from the dark days of British Leyland and that a Ford-era X300 generation (far more reliable) XJ6 in either “fair” to “good” condition can be had for around five large, there’s room for thought that the seller was toking on some serious ganja when he posted the classified.

For good measure, there’s no picture of the aged Chicago-based cat that’s had its front end “completely rebuilt”. We’re only left to dream with the above picture.

Caveat Emptor.

Linked: Hemmings

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…

Passing The Past: Jaguar’s 2010 XJ

By John Sweeney

WHEN you consider its pedigree, the 2010 XJ is a brave and radical departure for Jaguar. It’s an obvious move away from the ‘tried and tested’ big cat shape, dating back to the original Williams Lyons styled XJ of 1968.

When one thinks of an XJ, what springs to mind? Well, to this author’s mind spring: a wide and imposing grille, long bonnet and boot lid, four headlights, lots of chrome and acres of walnut veneer.

And what, might I add, is wrong with all that? After all, the classic XJ shape is immediately recognisable as a Jaguar, and surely this strong association in the minds of buyers must be a fruitful one?

Yet, the problem is that, over the years, all of these features have become a series of, dare I say it, stylistic clichés.

This presents a bit of a problem. When a design begins to be bound by styling alone, then what is to be done to improve it when technology and indeed the world around it changes?

Now, I must state that I’ve always had a great fondness for the classic XJ shape, but, as most actors would maintain, it’s never a good idea to be stereotyped.

Perhaps this is why, in both technology and styling, the new big cat is such a different beast to its predecessors.

When you consider what’s at stake, it’s plain to see that Jaguar is under no illusions regarding the importance of this new XJ for the company’s continued prosperity.

Linked: Jaguar Cars new XJ

More XJ Buzz: Jag’s Next Gen. Aluminum

Aluminum (Aluminium) Framed Jaguar. You say potato, I say potatoe.

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via Jaguar Cars

ARE we approaching the era of the throw-away car?

Perhaps, if we consider how auto makers like Volvo, Porsche, and, now, Jaguar are boning up on their “green” credentials and advising would-be buyers that their cars are now more eco-friendly by being XY% recyclable.

In the next XJ flagship’s case, 85% recyclable à cause de l’ ubiquitous use of aluminum (or aah-luu-mih-nee-yum – if you’re on Britain’s side of the Pond).

One wonders how recyclable the current gen. XJ is, considering that it, too, is made of aluminum.

Perish the thought that one would want to throw away one’s Jag.

But judging by the sheer quantity of old XJs now in various stages of rusting decay in used car lots and junk yards this world over, it’s probably a sound idea that the folks at Jaguar consider the green nature of their future products.

There’s more to know in this buzzing run up to the ninth of July XJ premiere: Jaguar asserts that the very litheness of the metal by which the new cat is hewn is to better insure a nimble pace and frugal taste for all premium ranges petroleum.

Big Tease? 2010 Jaguar XJ

Coventry’s 2010 Jaguar XJ teasing us

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Jaguar.com

FROM the top things look promising.

But will Jaguar parlay the C-XF’s (cast your minds back to ’07) raw sex appeal into the 2010 XJ sedan?

Original Concept: Jaguar C-XF

Can they pull off a feat which would not only capture our imaginations but open the way for other marques to copy Jag’s new creative height making our streets hotter?

Or will Coventry’s cat cough up just another hairball as lumpy and gooey eyed as the XF?

Unoriginal Result: Jaguar XF

For all the technical – ahem - charm that the British car maker has spread into its bread ‘n butter, pray-this-works midsize executive carrier, the C-XF’s luv was gone by the time the – aaahhheeemmm- pragmatic production sedan merged into traffic.

Pardon…it’s dusty in this blogosphere.

Jag selling practical and techy like Ze Germans? C’mon.

Wisely, Coventry is promising Teutonic-grade power – enough to shift plate tectonics  with a supercharged 510 hp V8 option.

But aside from being able to start and drive (fast) anytime and every time, the next XJ had better reintroduce sex into the relationship or Coventry’s cat has had it’s ninth.

The Ravages of Socialism: Jag XJC

By Gunnar Heinrich

FEWJaguar XJC’s still exist. The ones that do likely provide shelter for critters in grassy backyards – such is the 70s coupe’s rep. for quality. Yet, in the day CAR judged the Leyland cat  ideal for forging thru the Iron Curtain. Lucky for them, the lights failed and the autobox seized somewhere between Austria and W. Germany. Ten pages eerily, if laughingly, tell what socialism does to a country and a car maker.

[Linked: CAR's Destination Budapest!]

What’s Missing In This Press Picture?

( – click image to enlarge -)
img: Jaguar Cars USA

Hint – it’s not the absent hood leaper which the company has (dumbly) removed on M.Y. 2008 XJ sedans bound for North America.

Nor is it the lost dignity in that bulbous front spoiler that makes the Jag look like it’s nursing a fat lip after losing a nasty brawl with a 5-Series.

No, what’s missing from this photograph from Jaguar Cars’ press CD is something much more functional and yet still symbolic. What’s missing?

Weekend Snapshot > Jaguar XJ

Onward.

Is This Car The Next Jaguar XJ?