The Jaguar XJ-S is a V12 GT That Has Matured Spectacularly
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- The XJ-S had an unenviable task. Replace the E-Type while taking Jaguar into a whole new market segment, take on the best Mercedes-Benz had to offer, and succeed in spite of its British Leyland birth. In time, it did just that.
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The script writing here is exceptional. A brilliant and absorbing insight into the car’s history and design.
I agree with that wholeheartedly.. the script writing on this channel is always great, and I always learn something new..even about cars that I have owned and thought I knew about!
And all with a sense of humour so far off the beaten track he's going to need that Land-Rover he did a few weeks back.
Absolutely- I thought the very same thing. Superb script/dialogue and a credit to the guy, possibly the best I have seen on YT. Most enjoyable.
Ta Div.
Thanks as always Andrew :)
My brother is ten years younger than I am. Many years ago, when he was in his late twenties, he lusted after one of these cars that was up for sale at a local garage. In the end, for various reasons, he didn't buy it (mostly having to do with the garage's dodgy rep). Soon after, he went on a business trip to Scotland, being flown by his company rather than having to drive. I offered to pick him up from the airport on his return, to save him having to pay parking charges. As we emerged from the airport building, I walked straight up to a beautiful, gold XJS that I'd spotted on my way in. "What do you think?" I asked, reaching for the driver's side door handle. The look on his face was priceless, a mix of envy, rage, and maybe just a smidgen of grudging brotherly love. "Gotcha," I said, walking off to my actual car, parked at the other end of the car park. In the long list of gags we've pulled on one another over the years, this remains my favourite, because just for one tiny second he really believed me and the look on his face said it all.
This is peak! Love it!
“ A big cat with a drinking problem “
Brilliant line.
Not too bad...my H.E used to do about 20 MPG wafting about.
The eye description is priceless. Get this guy on Top Gear.
😆😆
Yip. He's a natural
agreed. really made me laugh. but completly true. very cool car
He’s too good for what TG has become these days - this video is actually informative and interesting!
I was 15 years old and at secondary when the XJS was launched, and I first saw it on a magazine cover and I was just blown away by it’s beauty.
I would take the S over the E type any day. The E type is the most overrated car of all time. It is nowhere near the most beautiful car, as so many say, and in fact I always found it rather ungainly and oddly proportioned
@@stanleymasterson1135 I think it’s a case of never meet your hero’s
@@stevenclarke5606 The XKE was never my hero. It was ugly from the first time I saw it in a magazine. Never understood the people who thought it was the most beautiful car. There’s a large contingent of people who agree with me that it’s awkward and homely
A red E-type was a phallus on wheels, especially the early smaller-mouthed versions before the enlarged and chrome-bedizened later meatus / glans / nose. It was an organic piece of art. But did that necessarily make it a good car? Just asking - though I'm sure there's a Leyland angle or two to it too.
Jags I owned were (mostly) fun cars to drive, but less fun to own when it came to maintenance and parts. In AU, the exclusive importer/wholesaler/ reseller was the Bryson group; one might as well order the replacement parts gold plated - they wouldn't have been any more expensive.
Never owned an E- or XJS-type, but have driven. Owned MkII, Mk10, XJ12.
My overall impression of Jags through ownership and broader driving of that era was that the cars were a clever mixture of well-made, genius, and weird bits of backyard-shed-cobbled-together do-dads. That were less than optimally reliable and, in AU, pretty much irreplaceable.
My (less exciting) collection of P4, P5, and P6 Rovers was more reliable by far, and far easier to work on. And cost relatively little for parts (until those eventually became NLA).
None of my Jags managed to live, first lifetime, more than about 200K miles. All my Rovers managed that and more, with my fave - a 1956 90 - finally being retired at 512K miles thanks to a blown head gasket.
Another excellently scripted and narrated piece, Ed! Your enthusiasm and thorough research, your smooth linking /sequencing / segueing, your clarity of diction (and your lack of overbearing, irrelevant, mumble-confusing music!) are continually leading your channel way beyond the humdrum.
Whether YT becomes a long-term occupation or is just a stepping stone to other things (like affording a nice Beemer and funding your studies, etc), you've refined the art beyond many of your niche peers. I raise you my (non-alcoholic) libation!
@@stevenclarke5606
“Heroes”
Your enthusiasm for this car is infectious. I’ve owned 2 of the V12 Jags, the first was a Daimler Double Sovereign and the second was a XJS, in red with the cream leather. The XJS was a beautiful car, it drove perfectly except that it would stall after a few mins stopped at traffic lights and then would not restart for about 10 mins. This would never happen if the bonnet was open, making it particularly difficult to diagnose, other than that it was perfect. I’ve had other Jags, and if I was buying a XJS now I would get a smaller engine model I think. My relationship with Jags is complex, when I have them I’m always frustrated by small details.. eg air con not cold enough, heater not hot enough, changing a light bulb needs a degree in engineering and the dexterity of an ambidextrous octopus.. etc etc, but then as soon as I sell it I desperately want another.
Growing up, I wanted a Jaguar. I would only be able to afford a used one, so everyone told me to forget about that dream...as it would break on me so often I would hate it. I always regretted not buying one anyway.
@@warrenny in total I have had 4 jags, 2 v12s and 2 6 cylinder, despite annoyances and the stalling XJS in traffic they have actually been very reliable, more so than most other cars from the same era. And parts are so very cheap
If it had the 4L Straight Six from the start instead of the V12, I think that it would've been more well received.
"It would stall after a few mins stopped at traffic lights and then would not restart for about 10 mins". That's weird I had a Peugeot 205 GTI that had that exact same Hot Start issue, damn anoying. The culprit was the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system.
I remember the first time I saw one of these. It was 1999, I was 18, it drove past me and then parked. I saw the V12 badge on the front and thought to myself - how on earth do they fit a V12 in such a low bonnet. It was not until many years later that I found out what it actually was and that it predates my existence! It is one of the most beautiful cars every made.
You never disappoint! Do keep it up. I'm 75 and your fresh view of these cars, some of which I was lucky to own, is so fascinating. A lot of your terrific research has been news to me too.
Thanks John, that's exceptionally kind of you to say :)
Great description from a young man, I have this week just sold my V12 XJSC having enjoyed, frustrated and spent heavily over 7 years. Great experience
Thanks Michael :)
Do you think you'd ever get another?
another great video Twin-Cam. I paid £8k for an 85 B plated white V12 HE back in 1991. Thar was the price of a new Ford Escort. I LOVED that car and had to sell it when child three of five appeared in 1993. I still have dreams to this day that I get the car back and I am 58 now! Cheapest V12 motor anyone can buy
Thanks Bill :)
Hello, as a long term subscriber to your channel I thoroughly enjoy your reviews. The fact that you rarely drive the cars (I presume insurance is an issue) is a real bonus. Driving on camera can never convey the sensations in a meaningful fashion. As a long time driver of classic Jaguars, XJ models I particularly enjoyed your mature, well researched and historically placed presentation today. Hoping there are plenty more car reviews and brochure reviews to come. Thank you
Thanks Richard :)
I have eyes in my head as well and this was a brilliant video about a brilliant car that any child of the 1970's surely still lusts over.
No modern car comes close to the feeling you get when you sit in it with the classic interior that's never been beaten. Wonderful!
I sat in a few used ones just to dream...the interiors are special.
Thanks Phillip :)
Always regarded the XJ series Jaguars as having one of the best suspension set ups of all time, alongside perhaps Citroen with the DS , Alfa Romeos Alfetta . I’ve ridden in XJ series cars but not had the pleasure to drive one. However, the immediate impression is your sat IN the suspension, not ON it. This gave excellent anti dive geometry for braking , affording the suspension good soft travel, but the low centre of gravity giving it excellent stability. Genius. The V12 has been heralded as the best production engine of all time, quite rightly so. Complex, possibly, thirsty, definitely but ultra smooth with the best balance frequencies of any engine configuration. I remember with great fondness collecting car brochures and the original XJS brochure in 1975 was a must to have, transforming you to an exotic lifestyle , away from the glum news of strikes , power cuts , political harshness that the car’s environment generated. Would love one, over any Ferrari or German manufacturer.
It's common across many of their cars other than the E-Type, but Jaguar's design and engineering is terminally slept upon. From 1948 to 1975, and possibly through to 1996, they made some of the best cars in the world.
Exceptional story telling as always.
Thanks Nick :)
One of your better reviews. I could not see one in my driveway but the dream is there.
Thanks Russell :)
"The kids are expected to smoke", yes, but its a Jag, they'll be smoking cigars, or maybe a pipe.
Classy children ;)
I've owned a 5.3 coupé XJS HE and a 6.0L V12 convertible and they were both lovely cars, miss them both
Thanks for a great entertaining review. I was part of the tiny Jaguar engineering team that took this car into it's final 6.0l V12 form early in my career. Was probably about the same age as you are now Ed. Wonderful times many happy miles driven in one of these.
Thanks William :)
I think there's a video to be made about the V12 engine at some point...
I always wanted an XJS especially one of the late 4 litre ones with the newer bumpers...
Now's probably the best time to buy one!
My Dad had loved them since they first came on the market, but they were few and far between in the early years here in NZ. However, in 1987, he realised his dream and bought a 1977 model and decided that we should all ride in it that Christmas to the family gathering 20-some miles away There were four of us.....Dad, Mum, my sister and me.....and I was 18. I am the same height as you, so I sat behind Mum and my 16-year-old sister sat behind the seat set for my 6'1" father. Her being only 5'3", I don't know which of us was more uncomfortable on that trip, but I still recall having to fold myself into the back, spread my knees either side of the seat back and lean forward for the duration of the trip! I am so glad it wasn't any further afield, that's for sure. When I was looking for my first classic, having teenage daughters of my own at the time, I kept that experience in mind. I eventually found a 2+2 that suited - at least when the roof was down - in the form of a 1974 Triumph Stag. Now in their late teens / early 20s, my daughters still happily sit in the back of the Stag if we all go for a cruise in it, as albeit a little cramped with their leg length, it is not a physical impossibility like the XJS. It hasn't stopped me from lusting after one though and one day an XJS will grace the garage for sure! Great review, Ed - and spot on the money too when it comes the the XJS and her followers. There are so many more now than there were in the early 80s and rightfully so, in my opinion. All the best.
Love that! Total joke of a four-seater, but last week I also tried on a Stag for size, funnily enough.
Thanks as always mate :)
I had a one in this colour for 16 years , toured all over Europe , never let me down and only had a blown high pressure steering hose but could still drive to the garage for replacement, sold with 86000 on the clock just to upgrade to XKR ,it was great GT
I think it’s biggest issue at launch was that people thought it was an e type replacement and still thought of the e type as the series 1 sports car type not the series 3 grand tourer so when the xjs appeared as very much the grand tourer people didn’t like it. I think they are awesome
This XJ S is lovely. The lovely Bordeaux / Burgundy shade really suits it too. As usual Ed what a fantastic presentation! Coincidentally I’ve recently been binge watching Inspector Morse and his superb Burgundy MK2. So this video has come at an opportune time indeed. I do remember the XJ S being the ‘Saint’s’ car of choice in the later colour serial with Ian Ogilvy in the lead role. Though it is hard to choose between that and the Volvo P1800 which Roger Moore used when he played the lead.
Thanks as always mate 🙂
Another well written history, well done, Ed! 👏🏼👍🏻😀
Thanks as always Frank :)
25:58 fun fact, inside that Lucas AB14 ignition amplifier, there is a GM HEI ignition module, the same as you'd find on late 70s Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Buick sedans, or perhaps on a GM pick-up truck. Marelli had their own version of the HEI used in Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, and while the XJS V12 made do with just one HEI module, the Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS got two of them.
Excellent review! A lot of hard work has gone into this. Very well done for avoiding incorrect descriptions such as "flying rear buttresses" or perculating myths like "the buttresses were there to support a mid-engine design". Great attention to detail throughout 👍
Thanks mate, very kind of you to say :)
Your XJ-S is absolutely gorgeous. Best colour, imo!
I had an early (#156 off the line) XJS and aside from it's tendency to rust and inability to pass a petrol station (but it would pass anything else) and it was a fabulous car. 0-60 was nothing special. 70 - 130 was STUNNING. On an Autobahn of course. :-) Loved it. Bui 17mpg ? A bit frightening :-)
Here in America, that 17mpg would be just fine. I envy you for owning one! I can only imagine the feeling
17mpg? You really weren't trying! 🙂
@@warrenny17 mpg in UK gallons, probably a few off that in US gallons. Still worth it though.
@@AmosDohms 100% worth it
One of the most beautiful cars ever built
What a fantastic and well-founded report. Great.
THANK YOU 🙏
Thanks mate :)
Looks as dramatic today as the first time I saw pictures of one in a car book I borrowed at the school library many many years ago😍
Always loved these. Why did the motoring press do a hatchet job? Because: motoring journalists. They're all expert drivers (in their minds), all know better than every engineer, but more than all of that, they have to sell their words, so controversy is always attractive. I prefer your genuine opinions and factual descriptions.
I've had a 1989 XJS 3.6 straight six with fuel injection and an engine management computer under the passenger footwell that returns a steady 35 mpg. It is now 2023 and I've owned this car since 2004. It is currently one of 15 left, on the road in the UK. I love it and have named her Saphira. I hope she sees me out, I am 75 this year. After 19 years in my garage, used daily, there is Nothing that I would ever swap for Saphira.
My stepdad had one of these when he started dating my Mom. I was 14 or 15 and I’d get him to drive my girlfriend and me to school dances. He sold it before I turned 16, probably at my Mom*s request, but he said it was due to high maintenance costs and fuel prices. I definitely would’ve “borrowed” it ALL the time! Still love the car’s design and the sound of that V12. 😍
Sounds like the outgoing E-type was something of a bargain!
I know for a while after they were discontinued, one couldn’t give an E-type away.
Once again, at Great Driving Days in Redditch, there is a V12 XJS that anyone can go along and drive.
I loved driving it, and agree with all you said about it.
I liked the sketch in the film ‘The Spy who Dumped me’ win the manual XJS.
The E-Type was exceptionally affordable, but people seem to forget that almost nobody with any money bought one. They were all bought by posers in the later years because they weren't actually that good.
@@TwinCam The series 3 E-Type is a very different proposition to the original series 1 / 1.5 cars. Some years back at Silverstone two such E-Types were parked next to each other. What a contrast! Definitely a case of sports car v's grand tourer. I'm afraid that the elongated shape of the series 3 E-Type is too diluted from the original form for me. Still an impressive car but not for me: always an XJ-S V12 over a series 3 E-Type. Interesting that some series 3 early '70s stock was "distressed" in the end. Says a lot about the market and tastes at the time. XJ-S ( and XJ coupe ) were much needed. If there is one slight criticism of XJ-S other than the practicalities of the interior cabin space packaging as documented, it would be the design language inconsistency in the detail that was inevitable as Doug Thorpe was not Malcolm Sayer.
I was working in a main dealer in 1979 and we actually got a memo from BL saying something along the lines of that existing orders for XJS would be fulfilled but not to take any further orders for the car as production was being halted for the foreseeable future and they didn't know if or when it would recommence.
Part of the sales success in the late eighties we were told on a factory course was due to the motorsport success in the Australian Touring Car series culminating in a win at Bathurst with Peter Brock (Australian motor racing legend) and Wynn Percy. The guy at the factory said that after the Bathurst win they sold their entire years allocation of cars for the Australian market in three months with wealthy Australians walking into Jaguar showroom and simply ordering 'one of those Jaguars that Brock and Percy took over the mountain'
That's a cool story! I wasn't aware of its Aussie motorsport success, unlike the Mini Cooper video I made a while ago :)
Don't think Brock drove the xjs with twr in the mid 80s.
Aww! No test drive? The styling is beautiful and enduring. Glad to hear the British workforce not getting bashed so much these days for the problems. There were a lot of skilled people employed who often were told to work with inferior and/or damaged parts.
Lovely car went for a long drive once and at 100 mph as the passenger fantastic lovely ride and serene quietness. Wonderful video.
Thanks :)
My all time favourite car.
I have had 3 of them over the years.
Gorgeous classic, excellently reviewed!
Thanks Michael :)
Have had 9 jags over the years...loved everyone. Have had 2 with chevy v8s...still have 87 xjsc v12...get compliments everytime I take her out....repairs costly but worth it
He knows more about these cars than the guys who built them!
Chuffing sublime! Never said better. Well done.
As usual, Ed, your script, research and narration is second to none.
But yeah. That particular XJS makes me very, very moist.
Thanks Rob :)
As I commented on insta Ed, these things are beautiful. Doesn’t get the respect it deserves
Indeed. Just brilliant. Jaguar's design is so slept on.
Another cracking review. It’s criminal you don’t have more subscribers.
Thanks Andrew, that’s very kind of you to say 🙂
I never cared for these cars, and I still don't, but your enthusiasm and presentation of it was thoroughly enjoyable.
the xj-s has always been one of my most favorite cars since i was a kid. i specially love the later model convertibles. great episode. thank you
I love tbe E-type but I'd take tbe xj,s over anything. In my eyes it's a thing of beauty a d one of tbe greatest designs ns in motor history
Loved the sarcastic biology lesson!
Fantastic Video Ed, well presented and researched and whst a stunning looking Jag.....
First saw the XJ-S on the Saint TV show with Ian Ogilvy and loved it from then. Got a chance to ride in one for a short period and found it very small and almost claustrophobic on the inside. But still think it's a beautiful car, particularly the later ones and in convertible form. And given enough of a budget I'd definitely buy one.
That's funny to hear. I certainly expected it to feel claustrophobic, but I thought it perfectly sized considering its low-slung nature. Then again, I'm not a tall man!
I'm amazed they're still so cheap in the UK. The XJ Saloons are shockingly expensive considering how cheap these are.
Yes - me too - I always liked the red XJS driven by Gambit in The New Avengers too…….
I am always surprised at how i don't fit in the xj6 s1-3 and xj40 and x300's, given I'm only 6'4", the xjs I think I've sat in it and had the same issue which sucks as I love the styling and the story on them.
A fresh take on this car, nice!
I saw a lilac XJS at the motor show in 1975.It was a Daily Express competition prize.Love them to this day.
My first memory of this was when Simon Templer had a white one in the Return of the Saint, 1978ish :)
I remember the e type with a 5,7 "ltr v 12 very rare car these days, it is like a merlin engine in a jaguar fast and furious 😎 😊 🤟 😊 😊
I always liked this one as well!
Jaguar has a almost unmatched history of manufacturing beautiful cars, the XK, the E Type and the Mk2 amongst them, and while I've always liked the XJS for me it is the criminally understated car it is mechanically based on - the original Series 1 XJ - is quite the most elegant Jaguar of them all. God how I want one - and well know that ship sailed years ago alas.
Absolutely. Jaguar design is so slept on.
The best and fastest XJS were the early 1975 V12 with manual gearbox
Brilliant in depth history of me favourite car ever. I have a 1978 pre he and love it. Good man for not calling them ‘flying buttresses’!
People forget that the E-type never had a wooden dash, the XJ-S was continuing that ‘tradition’.
Thanks George :)
The thing about car styling is that it is always of its time. I remember the XJS being launched and I hated the concave flying buttress. It just didn't blend well with the front half of the car. The headlamps were a bit of an odd shape. Unlike the XJ saloon or the E-Type the styling just didn't gel. Now 48 years later it doesn't look so bad, but that is only because modern cars are even weirder. Only this morning I was observing weird twisted teardrop shaped headlamps on the cars travelling the other way, and their totally discordant flank styling, and thought to myself "what were they thinking of?". So yes, put it amongst the current crop of monstrosities and the XJS looks fabulous.
Well done An underdog comes into the light. Super well done video...bravo!
Thanks Chris 🙂
You have made absolutely the best movie about XJS what I ever saw. I am a lucky owner of US version from 1988., I am now working on it and I hope to place a registration plates still this spring to enjoy this incredible and real British V12. I my opinion when Ford bought Jag in 1989 than the history of Jag had been ended. Today cars with "Jaguar" on them has nothing common with model you perfectly described and tested. It is a pitty but In the same way as RR is BMW and Bentley is VW.
Thanks Rafal, that's very kind of you to say :)
I do think it's an enormous shame that Jaguar has become such a shadow of itself. I'm afraid to say the future is bleak.
As others have said the presentation and writing here is excellent. Always impresses me. I remember these cars as a kid and they always seemed huge to me. I always think of them as a big car. But seeing you standing next to it it doesn't seem so big compared to cars these days.
Thanks mate, very kind of you to say :)
Even as someone who was born in 2000, they've always looked huge to me! But spending some time around it, the car feels perfectly dimensioned to have presence and enough room without being totally excessive.
Jaguar has long perfected the art of building an inverse Tardis - much bigger on the outside than the inside! My F-Type is the modern incarnation of the technique. 🙂
Glad you've done proper research on the XJS. Well done.
Thanks David :)
Having been there.... We all were a bit ho hum about the styling. We all liked it well enough, but it was a bit haphazard. I still think the same, but agree it became something special in its own right. The US double lamp I prefer. There are truly beautiful designs, 100s of em, that really show this up. That is the bottom line. I do still love it though.
Not sure where it looks haphazard?
While I love the E-Type, I don't get how people fawn over it. In many places (track, shoulders on coupes, front- and rear-ends on S2 and 3, the 2+2) it has clear flaws, and I look at it and wonder how much better again it could have been had they not mucked up just those little bits.
Great overview and nicely worded presentation.
At the beginning of COVID shutdown down three years ago, after my 3rd Fusion lease was coming to an end, I figured, I may not be around anyway, so why not buy what had been my favorite designed Jag (the XJS) and see it I can make it my daily driver?
I found a ‘91 with 37K miles on it in Indiana and made the online purchase. Because XJS’s had been the “unloved” Jag for so long, it was an exceptionally reasonable price and it hasn’t let me down yet. I’ve babied it and paid for preemptive maintenance - and yes, the gas gauge moves about the same speed as the hour hand. But it’s worth the extreme smoothness and comfort and I enjoy when younger kids look out the window and realize that not all cars used to have the same silhouette as so many do today.
The XJS is smoother and quieter on the road than my wife’s ‘17 Volvo S90. You can hardly hear road noise. Jaguar really produced a wonderfully perfect GT in the XJS. While I think the growl of a V8 XK would be fun to try, this is the properly tamed feline and when it’s gone one day (hopefully not for a very long time), I doubt anything could replace it.
Thanks Christian :)
That's a lovely story. As for the idea of a V8, I'm one of those people who has silly ideas regarding engines almost daily. I had a thought about a Rover SD1 with a modern Jag V8 in it the other day. That'd be a cool thing.
@@TwinCam Would love to see it! Perhaps a challenge to your viewers to seek out someone who has already done it or will do it.
Brilliant, best insight into the cars development and evolution I’ve seen yet, an A+++ from me for information and effort into presentation into a car most of us would not even consider an evolving classic!
An outstanding video, of a much less than outstanding car.
Gorgeous and brilliant it may not be, but back in the day, it certainly was the classiest of sports coupe’s and quintessentially British.
I owned a black metallic 1981 V12 HE and oh how I loved that car but it did break down regularly. I had twin girls who fitted in the back with their baby seats :)
I had the pleasure to drive one once, it was about a six month old V12. The company I worked for were about to sack one of the directors (based in Manchester) and I was asked to take the train to Manchester get a cab and basically 'steal' the car (I had authorisation and the spare set of keys). It was parked outside the company branch. In short they thought the exec might do something silly.....
Anyway I managed to take the car, and shortly after the guy was let go. So I had the pleasure of driving it back to London, and of course I avoided the motorways and had a nice drive over the pennines, via the cat and fiddle pass, down to Buxton, etc, etc.
It was a great day.
But not for the Director......
Edit - and the reason he got fired, the car. He leased the V12 without telling the CEO and when the CEO found out he was seriously pissed off (The CEOs car was an Audi 100).
Great video young man. I have had two Jaguar XJS's, both V12's. Looking over the bonnet from a super comfortable seat wasa beautiful thing. It was like driving a speedboat on on the road. I want another one day.
Edit: One shouldn't buy any Jaguar to share the cabin space with, bar for one exception and that is a pretty young lady. Otherwise, Jaguar's should be the preserve of the purchaser to enjoy!
Glad the steering wheel is right in front of you. On my Skoda, the steering wheel is right on the other side of the car so I have to lean right over. I suppose it is an LHD though.
Wonderful video! 👌🏻😊
Thanks Mathijs :)
@@TwinCam
In the meantime I encouraged my fellow club-members of the Jaguar Daimler Club Holland to also watch it. And they think it’s a pretty good video as well! 👍🏻
They like it so much that some of us are now suddenly considering using videos like yours to play at the club-stand during gatherings! But that leaves the daunting task of finding more videos of similar quality… Might be difficult. 😅🤷🏻♂️
Preferred the later model, with restyled tail lights
I like the later ones. They certainly look cleaner. But I like the originals because it's a little more stylistically interesting.
Horses for courses!
Absolutely right. I think its biggest crime when it came out was that it wasn't an E Type. And didn't want to be. I remember it's launch very clearly. I saw one last month, in a lay-by parked behind an Audi TT. The Audi looked old, fat and brutal. The XJS looked sleek, timeless and classic. The XJS was a stiletto next to a axe. I loved it when it was new, and love it still. And its styling lent itself perfectly to the full convertible when it eventually came out. (Unlike the clumsy cabriolet).
The car is gold. End of story 👍⚡️🔱
Fun Fact: 1 The original design was to have a glass rear AKA E-Type and jensen Interceptor but they ran out of money on the development - or it was too expensive to make - but some people have had theirs done via a conversion to mimic the original design.
Fun Fact: 2 The F-Type coupe was to have a side opening rear glass aka the original E-Type!!
I adore the XJS - definitely my favourite car of all time - early pre-HE on GKN alloys please!
Those alloys are lush.
Jaguar need to rejoin this segment
They made a 5 speed 3.6 in the 80s. I think the 928 was more modern looking with hidden bumper a more raked windscreen no quarter lights wider. The Dash in the 928 also looked more modern. My dad had a 1985 V12 in that colour with that interior then changed to 928 S2 in 1986 but went back to Jaguar XJS 3.6 in 87 then in 89 a 928 S4. My dad was unhappy when the 928 arrived with no wood or leather inside. The XJ6 and BMW 7 Mercedes had wood and leather at the time. I like the retro styling Jaguar had the modern styled Jaguars are not selling so well. Of course correlation does not equal causation. Someone may travel a short distance in the back and with no opening windows if got in smoking its inconvenient with no ashtray
Yes, I mention that in the video.
I think the 928 looks more modern, but it dated very quickly. The XJ-S may be a 1971-vintage design, but it's so elegant and such a good combination of classic and modern that it didn't look old fashioned in the '90s.
No excuse for the lack of a left foot rest. That's a straight red
For me the best of breed are the last generation 4.0 6 cylinder and 6 liter V12 cars.
They were certainly the best mechanically resolved.
Nothing not to like! It was a great listen and so interesting too! Really good job in sharing this! TY :)
Thank you :)
You are more than myopic regarding the the XJ12c.
Do elaborate.
18:15 considering the consensus on the jag forums is that the xjs and XK rear seat are good for dogs only, just put kibble in the rear ash tray.
Dogs in big cats are not a good mix! 🙂
I agree, really beautiful car
The automatic transmission is a GM THM 400 which is a very bulletproof one as they say.
I've never liked the styling of the XJS from this period though could never understand why. However when you began talking about the bumpers and how they complied with U.S regulations... that's it! Now I'm aware of this, I can see that this car could be (bumpers aside) stunningly beautiful.
It is such a shame. For a country that boasts itself to be superior and free, they don't half have a lot of silly regulations!
Bedankt
Thanks Ed, very kind of you :)
If you think about it, the HE was the first post-fuel crisis car to figure out how to deliver more power despite all the emissions controls. It took a few more years before American V8 manufacturers found their way out of their malaise.
The XJS as a coupe to me is prettier than the E-Type. The early series E-Type in cabrio form is sublime, but I've never been a big fan of the short fastback design of the rear end. It looks better proportioned in the later XJS and even the 90s XK8.
Great review of a great and beautiful cat, I mean... car. 😁
Thanks mate 🙂
Great video Ed.
I'd like to see a X100 / X150 review as a follow up.
Thanks mate 🙂
Someday!
Very interesting. I've got a V12 XJS and the fuel consumption isn't that bad. I get just over 20 mpg on a decent run which doesn't sound much compared to modern cars (I get 40mpg + from my 3 litre diesel XF), but compared to cars back then it was quite respectable. Obviously around town it is pretty abysmal, it can drop to single figures then.
Pretty amusing watching young people discover an XJS, FYI young man, the rear seats are like those in a Porsche 911, for insurance purposes only. Having owned an 85 & 89 V12s back in the day. I am now restoring a 94 6 cyl Convertible, not all parts are easily available but if you have the time it's a safer project than an old V12. Keep reviewing young man.
Inboard rear discs were great for reducing unsprung weight but a bloody nightmare to change the brake pads on!
Absolutely!
Not a proper British car if any consideration was given to the servicing requirements ;)
Always reminded me of Concorde on wheels......same design era I guess.
😂😂😂 I went in the back of one of those when I was 12!! Plenty of room! 😂
Yeah, Ed needs to learn the difference between a 4 seater and a 2 plus 2. :-)
Out of interest, what is 2+2?
There’s no difference between the two. It’s just a marketing excuse for manufacturers to fit seats in a place humans can’t fit.
@@TwinCam 2+2 usually refers to a 2 seater car with an additional small rear seats. Handy if you have drunk friends who are "legless"! I think they came about because America introduced extra tax for 2 seater cars, so adding a couple of alleged rear seats exempt it from that surcharge. I found the rear "seats" in my XK8 and XKRs were very handy for additional storage - coats, umbrellas, small bags, etc. The one thing I miss in my F-Type.
I love my xjs v12 1989 pre face lift. It’s actually pretty good on fuel if you drive smoothly. Unfortunately I do not….. the sound of that v12 is intoxicating when when you hit the loud pedal.
I prefer my xjs to the the interceptor I once had. ( I do miss it though )
15:30 my grandad has a 6.0 XJR-S .. 1991 (just before the facelift) 3 speed auto (!) some longggg gears
you didn't mention the in-board rear brakes!!? Did you? Great show!!
Yes I did, don’t have a time stamp, but it was thrown in when I was talking about the suspension generally.
He did indeed. The later cars did away with this arrangement in favor of a traditional setup within the wheels.