If you were a European executive in the late Eighties and early Nineties and wanted a luxury sports car to criss-cross Europe, there was only one real choice: a Porsche 928. With its powerful V8, bulletproof reliability and a luxury interior, it was the perfect gentleman’s express to commute between Strasburg and Brussels without so much as creasing their Armani suit. What then, if they wanted a more left-field choice, a car that offered all the same qualities as the Porsche but one that was built in much smaller numbers and was, therefore, more interesting?
The XJR-S 6.0 fitted these requirements perfectly. Still partly handmade, it had more bespoke charm than the anodyne Porsche, but touted the same big-engined performance. Plus, from the outset, the long-legged XJS was designed for long European journeys, the RS package giving it a slightly sportier edge. An even more unusual choice was the Alpine GTA. Rear-engined, plastic-bodied and smaller in size, despite having a V6 it was even sportier than the Jaguar, yet still offered two-plus-two seating.
So, let’s discover which of these two different cars is the best to cross Europe, the British bulldog or a French fancy.
Other than transporting the well-manicured executives who would have bought these handsome
