Alternative ending
WHAT MIGHT you do if you don’t want to spend your £25,000 on a modern Jaguar convertible, like the XKR and F-TYPE you’ve just read about, and instead desire a classic model? While £25k is clearly not enough for an E-type or classic XK model (well not one with four wheels and an engine), the only real alternative is the XJ-S Cabriolet V12. Not only is it fast, good-looking and good to drive, it’s also refined, stylish and comfortable – impressive for a model that was more of an afterthought than turning the gas off after your house has exploded.
We explain what makes the car special and why, despite being a surprising alternative to the modern, faster models, it’s no less exciting.
Development of the XJ-S started in the late Sixties, a time when the American Government was considering new (but ultimately unrealised) legislation that would have outlawed convertibles, so when the car finally went on sale in 1975 it was only in coupe form. And that was just fine with Jaguar. The company was trying to move away from the cold and leaky cars of
