Jaguar XJ

Overview

    When the XJ debuted in 1969, it was the smaller Jaguar: the 420G was the flagship Jaguar sedan, but the XJ soon superceded it, and was the only 4-door Jaguar for 30 years. Powered by BMC/British Leyland straight-six engines, the XJ gained a twelve-cylinder model for 1973. The result was the XJ12, the first V-12 sedan since the decline of the Lincoln Zephyrs in the late 1940s. XJ12s were sold alongside the XJ6 until 1979 in the United States, but continued on the old chassis until 1992 in Europe. A major redesign in 1988 produced the so-called XJ40, much maligned for being too much of a break from Jaguar tradition. After being taken over by Ford Motor Company, Jaguar developed several generations of new XJs. The XJ12 returned for a time, from 1992-1996. The first V-8 in a Jaguar sedan debuted in 1998, along with a supercharged engine that replaced the old V-12, and the 2004 redesign moved the venerable sedan onto an aluminum chassis for the first time. Jaguar XJs have been almost exclusively sedans, except for an all-too-brief run of hardtop coupes from 1974 to 1976. Daimler versions were sold in Europe, but not in the United States.

2004-current [X350]

1995-2003 [X300/X308]

1988-1994 [XJ40]

1979-1987 [Series III]

1974-1979 [Series II]

1969-1973 [Series I]