Jaguar XJS Cars For Sale In United States

Show search form

This British car is definitely a legend. Firstly, because the Jaguar brand itself is already a legend, and secondly, because the design of the car, which has been produced since 1975, was clearly ahead of its time and even shaped the trends in automotive fashion. The fact that the Jaguar XJS was at one time a futuristic car confirms its longevity on the assembly line. The car was stopped only in 1996.

Initially, XJS was released with an open focus on America, more precisely, on Florida and California - states where life-burners were abundant - not withcash-strapped regulars on Malibu and Santa Monica beaches. Hence the open, generally without a roof and an awning, modifications (obviously not for Foggy Albion) in addition to a sports coupe and convertible, a mind-boggling audio system instead of rear seats, an automatic transmission as the main option and V12 engines, immodest in appetites, as the most common.

The calculation turned out to be correct - a luxurious car quickly registered in the garages of celebrities and rich people. The most famous XJS owners include Frank Sinatra, as well as GitIron Maiden arista Adrian Smith. The friend of the famous Kate Moss, the lead singer of the Babyshambles group, the famous brawler Pete Doherty recently bought himself the 8th Jaguar. It was the 1986 XJS. Today, this car is spoiled by the attention and love of celebrities. But it was not always so.

At the 1975 Frankfurt Motor Show, the large crowd besieging the Jaguar booth was horrified and outraged after the cover was ripped off the XJS, the successor to the legendary E-type sports model. Instead of an elegant sports coupe, for nowa mechanical monster, huge, flattened, not at all like the adored E-type. No one expected this from renowned designer Malcolm Sayer.

The car was born in the harsh conditions of the crisis in the British automotive industry and the oil industry around the world, caused by the "Yom Kippur War" in 1973 in the Middle East. At that time, the very existence of Jaguar was in question, because with the sharp rise in gasoline prices, car manufacturers with 12-cylinder engines are going through difficult times. NonethelessThat is, the release of a new car was recognized as expedient, and the world received another car, which, 20 years after the start of production, was recognized as a classic.

The presented novelty from Jaguar caused shock. Journalists vied with each other in inventing derogatory epithets for the car, they said that there was no such ugly car on both sides of the Atlantic, they accused the designers of deviating from traditions, lack of unity of style, in violation of proportions and other mortal sins. Meanwhile, the XJS had a very low aerodynamic ratio.ical resistance - 0.39, a truly powerful and solid engine with a volume of 5.3 liters and a capacity of 285 liters. sec., as well as excellent dynamics - 7 sec. up to 100 km / h. And consumers quickly came to terms with unusual shapes, seeing their grace and proportionality.

Until 1985, the Jaguar XJS was produced exclusively with a coupe body. The British have long been ready for the release of a convertible, but as mentioned above, America was the main consumer of these cars, and US federal road safety regulations prohibited the operation of open cars. In 1985the norms were changed, which was immediately taken advantage of by automakers, and among the first - Jaguar, which immediately offered - Jaguar XJS topless. Strictly speaking, the body was not completely open: with the top folded down, the roll cage remained, so it was more of a targa than a convertible. Nevertheless, the success in the American market was overwhelming, despite the fact that the car was originally equipped with only "six" (219 km / h) and was purely two-seater. Only a considerable price prevented it from becoming America's iconic car along with the Corvette and Musta.ng.

For many years, the only place where restyled engineers dared to intrude was the engine compartment. Engines for the XJS changed with enviable consistency in 1976, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1992. Instead of the famous 12-cylinder 5.3 liters. The engine was equipped with 6-cylinder, 3.6-liter, 6-cylinder with 4 liters of volume, 12-cylinder 6-liter, and even 8-liter monsters. But the classic is still the 5.3L V12.

Modernization in 1981 increased the power of this engine to 300 hp, dynamics to 6.5 seconds, and reduced fuel consumptionand 12.5%. The uprated engine received the designation HE - High Efficiency (high efficiency). "Maximum speed" of 249 km / h made the Jaguar XJS with HiEf engine the world's fastest car with automatic transmission.

The updated XJ-S was selected by Tom Walkinshaw's racing team as the ETCC (European Touring Car Championship) fighting vehicle. In three years, the TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing - not to be confused with the TVR brand) team has won 16 victories.

Externally, the XJS convertible is not a small car at all, just very low - even with the awning raised, an adult is only waist-deep. Convertible, unlike the coupe XJS 2 + 2, strabout a two-seater car, but it inherited long doors from the basic version, so the fit is not very comfortable, although a low seat does not cause problems. The ergonomics are excellent, the body is in the only correct position. The seats are upholstered in soft leather, have two standard adjustments, plus pneumatic inflation of the pillows and the lumbar region of the back.

The steering wheel is covered with leather, the section is optimal, the diameter is what you need, and the knitting needles do not interfere with the overview of the devices. Before our eyes is a speedometer, digitized up to 260 km / h, and a tachometer - up to 7000 rpm, betweenthere are four indicators of engine parameters with original vertical scales. All the numbers on the devices are clearly drawn and very easy to read. The light is controlled by a rotating knob near the steering column. The dashboard is very bright - so you can see it even in the sun - the symbols corresponding to the switched on consumers are highlighted. The steering column switches control: the left - the turn signals, the right - the wiper.

The pedals are perfectly positioned. In the central part of the front panel, under the defThe on-board computer display is located with the heater controls. Even below is the socket for an audio system of impressive size and with such an abundance of wires that doubts arise: is it a car or a recording studio?

The engine starts instantly, the bass rumble delights the ear. When you press the accelerator pedal, the sound does not become louder, only the tonality changes slightly: the higher the revs, the higher the timbre. Since the engine develops 80% of the torque already at 1500 rpm, the slightest acceleration becomes like a jerk. NSJaguar's innovative qualities are beyond praise. The energy-intensive suspension perfectly handles all the bumps in the road. No vibration or shocks on deep potholes are transmitted to the body. The engine and transmission work so harmoniously that the car accelerates "in a single burst", it is impossible to feel the shift. The car is controlled easily and confidently. Powerful and efficient brakes make this car absolutely safe when driving at any (of course, reasonable) speeds.

In short, this is a car for pleasure, for walking withbeloved girlfriend. And at the same time, it is a serious and very powerful car with a pronounced sporty character. Having once started as a supercar, the Jaguar XJS 15 years later became a symbol of the "sweet life" - that's why Ford (which acquired the Jaguar brand in 1990) tried to keep it on the assembly line to the last.

In the 90s, the XJS was modified with a frequency unworthy of a classic: in 1993 alone, new bumpers appeared, the rear brakes moved closer to the side, the convertible received a landing formula "2 + 2". In 1994, the V12 began to use the systemin multi-point fuel injection, bringing the power to 333 liters. sec., and the four-liter engine was boosted - up to 249 hp.

XJS production continued until April 4, 1996; "Classic", which lasted almost 21 years on the conveyor, did not become a truly iconic car, most likely because of the high price, inherent quality of any real "Jaguar". Nevertheless, this is an epoch-making machine - in any case, we will not soon see something similar from the Jaguar ...

List of the Jaguar models