BUYING GUIDE JAGUAR XJS V12
A production run of 21 years makes Jaguar's most controversial coupé also one of its most successful, with more than 115,000 cars sold worldwide during that time. But when the dramatic new XJ-S first took a bow in 1975, many onlookers doubted whether it would be such a hit. Comparisons with the outgoing E-Type were inevitable, despite British Leyland's insistence that the XJ-S was not an official replacement.
Not everyone appreciated the XJ-S's styling (particularly its trailing rear buttresses), nor the fact that the only power option was Jaguar's lessthan-frugal 5.3-litre V12 at a time when the most recent energy crisis was still fresh in everyone's mind. But despite a slow start, Jaguar didn't give up on the XJ-S; and through a long-term process of updates, its sportiest model began to prosper.
It's a sobering thought that the XJ-S was in danger of being dropped from the Jaguar line-up at the start of the ‘80s, with just 1057 cars sold worldwide in 1980 compared with 3890 three years earlier. Instead though, Jaguar focused on improving both the car's design and its overall quality and reliability. The summer of 1981 saw the launch of an updated version of the V12 engine, featuring a Michael May-designed splitlevel combustion chamber for greater efficiency. The effect was dramatic, with an increase in power being a welcome bonus, alongside an all-important improvement in fuel economy; the XJ-S HE (for ‘High Efficiency’) was
