JAGUAR ‘XJ40’ XJ (1986-1994)
Replacing the landmark Series Jaguar XJ was quite the undertaking, so much so that it technically took 14 years. Thoughts of replacing the XJ – then soon to enter Series 2 guise – started as early as 1972, but with Jaguar experiencing financial instability and general uncertainty under British Leyland ownership, progress was hindered. In the meantime, the well-executed but ultimately minor Series 3 facelift for the XJ came in 1979. Design and development for the Series XJ successor (codenamed ‘XJ40’) slowly continued, but despite BL boss Michael Edwardes’ target of a 1984 launch, such was the lack of funds and manpower, it took until the 1986 Paris Motor show for the all-new XJ’s debut – by which point Jaguar had become independent again.
The 1980s-spec square styling proved divisive – the XJ40 wasn’t as classically beautiful and curvaceous as its
