"I became fond of 1990s and early 2000s British car design in my early teens. It is an era that I think designers really got right. The first XK8 I remember was when I was just four years old in 1998. It was a Topaz Gold coupe with Revolver wheels owned by the couple living opposite my home, and it was parked alongside an XJ. Ever since, Jaguar as a brand has fascinated me, but no other model more so than the X100-series XK8.”
The impact of that Jaguar on Eliot Barden was such that 19 years later, he acquired his own very early XK8. Looking at EJB 65 today in its Titanium Grey magnificence, it is almost impossible to believe that it debuted in 1996. To put this date in context, it is as remote from 2023 as the first E-Types would have been in 1988. Or should it be forgotten that the XK8 became the company’s fastest-selling sports model?
As with so many fine British cars, the story of ‘Project X100’ was far from straightforward. Jaguar first mooted a replacement for the XJS in 1980, but Ford cancelled Project XJ41 shortly after they acquired the firm in 1989. Two years later, the XJS received a major facelift, and in that same year, work commenced on the X100. Keith Helfet and Fergus Pollock were responsible for the styling. Jaguar’s design director Geoff Lawson explained to Autocar,
