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The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar luxury marque. The XJ was launched in 1968 and has served as the Jaguar flagship model for most of its production span which continues through to today. It was the last Jaguar saloon to have had the input of Sir William Lyons, the company's founder.
[] Mark 1 (Series 1, 2 and 3 (1968–1992))
[] Series 1 1968–1972
Series I
Also called: XJ6, XJ12, Daimler Sovereign, Double-Six
Production: 1968–1973
82126 produced
Predecessor: Jaguar S-Type
Engine: 2.8 L XK I6
4.2 L XK I6
5.3 L Jaguar V12 engine V12
The XJ6, using 2.8 L (2790 cc/170 in³) and 4.2 L (4235 cc/258 in³) straight six cylinder versions of Jaguar's renowned XK engine, replaced most of Jaguar's saloons – which, in the 1960s, had expanded to four separate ranges. An upmarket version was marketed under the Daimler brand and called the Daimler Sovereign. The "XJ" designation was from the car's code name during development, standing for Experimental Jaguar.
The car was introduced in September 1968, in a series of television advertisements featuring Sir William. In these spots, he memorably referred to the car as "the finest Jaguar ever". The XJ12 version, with a 5.3 L V12 engine, was launched in 1972, with 3,235 being built.
[] Series 2 1973–1979
Series II
1980 Jaguar XJ6 Series II
Also called: XJ6, XJ12, Daimler Sovereign, Double-Six
Production: 1973–1979 (1981)
91,227 produced
Engine: 2.8 L XK I6
3.4 L XK I6
4.2 L XK I6
5.3 L Jaguar V12 engine V12
Normally known simply as the "Series II" the XJ line was facelifted for 1973. A 3.4 L (3442 cc/210 in³) version of the XK engine was available from 1975.
The XJ12 version, with a 5.3 L V12 engine, was again part of the lineup along with long-wheelbase models and a coupé, now considered a collector's item due to its rarity. The top 12-cylinder Daimler was called the Double Six. The Series II launched in the 1974 model year in the United States.
These Series II models were known for their poor build quality, which was attributed to Jaguar being part of the British Leyland group, as well as to problems inherent in the design of certain Lucas-sourced components.
On television, the Jaguar XJ Series II was immortalized in the TV show Minder, with a silver XJ6 being driven by character Arthur Daley.
Visually, apart from the longer wheelbase and available "XJ12" badge, the Series II cars are differentiated by a smaller grille. 91,227 were produced, 14,226 of them with the V12 engine.
Though worldwide production of the Series II ended in 1979, a number were produced in Cape Town, South Africa until 1981.
[] XJ Coupé
XJ-Coupé
Also called: XJ-C, XJ6-C, XJ12-C
Production: 1975–1978
10487 produced
Predecessor: none
Successor: Jaguar XJS
Engine: 4.2 L XK I6
5.3 L Jaguar V12 engine V12
An 8,378-car run of 2-door XJ coupés with a pillarless hardtop body called the XJC was built between 1975 and 1978. The coupé was based on the short wheelbase version of the XJ. The coupé's elongated doors were made out of a lengthened standard XJ front door (the weld seams are clearly visible under the interior panels where two front door shells were grafted together with a single outer skin). A few XJCs were modified by Avon into convertibles with a retractable canvas top, but this was not a factory product. Both six and twelve-cylinder models were offered, 6,505 of the former and 1,873 of the latter. Jaguar had intended to introduce the car as early as 1973, but problems with window sealing delayed production. Even with the delay, these cars suffered from water leaks and wind noise. The delayed introduction, the labour-intensive work required by the modified saloon body, the higher price than the four door car, and the early demise promulgated by the new XJ-S, all ensured a small production run.
All coupes came with a vinyl roof as standard. It has been speculated that this is due to the rough welds around the windows of the roof, however many owners have removed these roofs and found no such rough welds. Other explanations point out that all V12 Jaguars received vinyl roofs at this time to signify the introduction of fuel injection, but this doesn't explain the vinyl roof on the 6 cylinder cars. Today many XJCs no longer have their vinyl roof.
A small number of Daimler versions of the XJC were made.
[] Series 3 1979–1992
Series III
1987
Also called: XJ6, XJ12, Sovereign, Vanden Plas, Daimler, Double Six
Production: 1979–1989
132,952 produced
Engine: 3.4 L XK I6
4.2 L XK I6
5.3 L Jaguar V12 engine V12
In late 1979 the XJ was facelifted again, and was generally known as the "Series III". The long-wheelbase version of the car incorporated a subtle redesign by Pininfarina, and there were three engine variants including the 5.3L V12, the 4.2L straight 6 and 3.4L straight 6. The larger 6-cylinder, and V12 models incorporated Bosch fuel injection (made under license by Lucas) while the smaller 6-cylinder made do with carburetors. The smaller 3.4L 6-cylinder engine was not offered in the U.S. The short wheelbase saloon and coupé had been dropped during the final years of the Series II XJ. The introduction of the Series III model also saw the option of a sunroof and cruise control for the first time on an XJ model.
With this model, the XJ again featured in the television series Minder, with character Arthur Daley owning a primrose yellow Daimler Sovereign.
In 1982 the interior of the XJ underwent a minor update. Also introduced in 1982, for the US-market, was the Vanden Plas, a model designation still used today for the top-level XJ saloon in the US. The designation was used on top-of-the-range Rover cars in the home UK market, and so the Jaguar Sovereign was launched for the 1983 model year as the top Jaguar model, while Daimler became the most luxuriest XJ, being fully optioned and featuring Vanden Plas style seats. With the new Jaguar Sovereign model came the introduction of the sought-after ("pepperpot") alloy wheel featuring numerous distinctive circular holes. A trip computer also appreared for the first time and was fitted as standard on Sovereign and Daimler models.
The last Series III XJ with a six-cylinder engine was produced in 1987. Production of the Series III XJ continued until 1992 with the V12 engine. 132,952 Series III cars were built, 10,500 with the V12 engine.
[] Mark 2 (XJ40, XJ81, X300, X305 and X308 (1986–2002))
1986 (XJ40)
Also called: XJ6, XJ12, Sovereign, Daimler
Engine: 2.9 L AJ6 I6
3.2 L AJ6 I6
3.6 L AJ6 I6
4.0 L AJ6 I6
6.0 L Jaguar V12 engine V12
[] XJ40 1986–1989
Throughout the 1970s Jaguar had been developing "Project XJ40" which was an all-new model intended to replace the original (by now Series III) XJ6. Due to problems at British Leyland and the fuel crisis, the car was continually delayed. Proposals from Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina were received. Eventually, it was decided an internal design would be carried through to production.
This car was finally released in October 1986 with (in European markets) controversial square headlamps on all but the lowest specification; these were a lingering feature from the 1970s development. The car was considered more evolutionary than revolutionary, and had to fight off a new competitor: the recently enlarged BMW 7 Series (E32). While the British press favoured the Jaguar, the XJ40 tended to lose comparison tests run by German publications. Only six-cylinder models were initially offered: a 2.9 L (in Europe) and a 3.6 L. The V12 (XJ12) and a long wheelbase model, including a high-roofed Daimler Majestic model destined for official use (one was used by the British prime minister), were again delayed, launching at the very end of the XJ40's life.
The delay in fitting the V12 engine was due to the design of the engine bay which was too narrow to allow a V formation engine, said to have been designed deliberately in that fashion as the Jaguar V12 was by then an aging unit and the designers feared that their parent company would insist use of an engine based on their widely-used Rover V8 engine (a DOHC version of this engine was designed but never produced). Immediately after Jaguar's takeover by Ford in December 1989, work began on redesigning the engine bay to accommodate the V12. Ironically, thanks to Ford, Jaguar was later to find itself back in common ownership with another part of the old Rover family: Land Rover, where they had previously been thanks to British Leyland. However, having since developed their own more modern V8, they saw the reverse happen with a version of their engine fitted to Land Rover models, from which the old Rover V8 was finally dropped.
The single cam 2.9 L straight-6 engine found in Europe was a derivative of Jaguar's legendary 6.0 L V12 HE, but it proved to be underpowered and thirsty compared to the 3.6. L Frequent timing chain failures were also a problem. The engine was later replaced with the 3.2 L, based on the durable 3.6 L, which then became the 4.0 L.
[edit] XJ40 1989–1994
In 1989, under Ford control, the model range was revised with the deletion of the 2.9 L engine, replaced at the low end by a twin-cam 3.2 L version. The 3.6 L was upgraded to 4.0 L. The most obvious interior improvement was replacement of the often unreliable digital dashboard with conventional analogue instruments. In 1994 the XJ6 received a passenger's side airbag which meant the loss of the in-dash glove box.
[] XJ81 1993–1994
With the design alteration of the XJ40 engine compartment finally completed, the XJ81 or XJ12 saloon reached the market in 1993 and continued until the end of the 1994 model year. The 1993 - 1994 XJ12 cars marked the introduction of the 6.0L V12 and four speed automatic transmission in the four door saloon. The new four speed automatic transmission in these cars was based on the GM 4L80E and featured a overdrive fourth gear for extended crusing comfort. The 1993 XJ12 cars that entered the United States were titled as 1994 cars. The primary differentation between these early 1994 cars and the later 1994 cars is the presence of a in-dash glove box in the early cars that was replaced by a passenger's side airbag in the later 1994 cars. The early 1994 cars also had a latice or BBS style wheel in comparison to the somewhat plain wheels used on the later 1994 cars.
[] X300 1995–1997
X300
1995
Also called: XJ6, Vanden Plas, XJR, Daimler
Production: 1995–1997
Engine: 4.0 L AJ16 I6
6.0 L Jaguar V12 engine V12
With an all-new replacement still years away, in the late 1980s Ford ordered the XJ40 to be facelifted and "retrolutionized", reintroducing some of the style of the popular Series III. The X300, as it was known, was redesigned by head designer Geoff Lawson and was launched as the XJ6 for the 1995 model year.
In addition, a supercharged version of the straight-6 was offered and badged as the XJR. This was the first supercharged Jaguar in the company's history and only the second car Jaguar ever made that used forced induction – apart from the extremely rare and expensive turbocharged Jaguar XJ220 sports car.
The center section (namely the doors and glass area) was shared with the original "Mark 2" (XJ40) but the X300 saw the XJ6 revert to a traditional fluted bonnet and 4 individual headlights. The front and rear wings, bumpers and bootlid were also redesigned. The interior remained more or less the same as before. The engines were basically the same 3.2 L and 4.0 L units found in the XJ40, but were mildy revised to further increase power and refinement. It was this generation that saw continued improvement in build quality.
1997 was the final year of production for the XJ6. Jaguar switched exclusively to an all-new V8 engine when the XJ8 was introduced at the end of 1997.
[] X305 1995–1996
X305
Also called: XJ12, Daimler Double Six
Production: 1995–1996
Engine: 6.0 L Jaguar V12 engine V12
For 1995 the XJ12 got the same styling revisions as the X300 XJ6. The 6.0 L Jaguar V12 engine was continued for the 1995 model year unchanged from the 1994 XJ81 car. For 1996 only, the engine was redesigned with a distributorless ignition system. The last Jaguar to be powered by a V12 engine was a black XJ12 which left the production line on April 17, 1997. It now resides in the Jaguar Museum. Only 3,400 XJ12s were produced in the X300 body style, making it rarer than V12 rivals such as the BMW 750iL and Mercedes-Benz S600. The XJ12 was visibly differentiated from the XJ6 not only by a badge on the rear deck lid, but also by a "V12" badge on each side of the central pillar.
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