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While the argument that ‘original is best’ is one regularly trotted out when it comes to discussing the evolution of specifi c models of car, in the case of the three XK-engined XJs and their V12 conterparts, you might fi nd yourself on a sticky wicket were you to take such a stance. Yes, anyone would be hard pressed to argue against the ‘Series 1’ of 1968 being the purest of the XJ line – and to my eye at least, it’s visually the most attractive – while the Series 2 has many great strengths too, not least its improved levels of comfort, but it’s the appeal of the Series 3 XJ that seems to have endured to the greatest degree in the hearts of enthusiasts due to its seamless blend of performance, style and luxury. That, and the fact that it’s a model reaching its 30th anniversary this year, makes it a car certainly worthy of celebration. So that’s just what we’re doing in this issue. Of course, as we recount elsewhere, that the Series 3 XJ was so successful – just over 177,000 examples were built, more than either Series 1 or 2 – is rather ironic given that it only came into being because of long delays with the development of the XJ40 (the length of those delays is put into perspective when you consider that the Series 3 remained in production from 1979 to 1987 in six-cylinder form, while the last XJ12 example didn’t roll off the production line until 1992!).