Jaguar World Magazine XJS - Ultimate Guide Oct 2010 Back Issue

Given the richness of its manufacturing
heritage, it’s no surprise that the
passing of almost every year sees the
celebration of one Jaguar anniversary
or another.
In 2010, of course, the ‘big one’ is that of 75
years since the Jaguar name was fi rst used, and quite
rightly so, but it’s not the only anniversary worthy of
note. The Mk VII, for example, celebrates its 60th
year in 2010 while a much newer classic, the XJ-S,
reaches its 35th year. And the latter is one we’re
marking in this issue with our ‘Ultimate Guide’.
Of all the models Jaguar has built over the
years the story of the XJ-S is one that’s particularly
interesting, not because it was an immediate success,
but precisely because it wasn’t… It’s a story that’s
been well documented before, so much so that
I won’t go into detail here. Suffi ce it to say that,
unveiled in September 1975, the XJ-S was a far cry
from the E-type that preceded it and with V12 power
only – not hugely popular in the wake of a fuel crisis
– the model’s initial reception was not what
Jaguar had hoped for. But it survived
and following the introduction
of the HE V12 and then the
six-cylinder models in 1981
and 1983 respectively,
the XJ-S became a very
popular car indeed with
production fi nally ceasing
in 1996 after some 115,413
had been made. But even
more interesting are the model’s
fortunes since then, for in just 14 years
the XJ-S seems to have gone through an accelerated
current model to ‘appreciating classic’ cycle,
passing through the depreciating used-car and then
enthusiasts’ choice stages very quickly indeed.
How has this happened? Well, after the launch
of the XK8 that replaced it, values of the XJ-S on the
used market soon slumped, but in eff ect that gave it
a new lease of life as it fell into the reach of many of
us enthusiasts that had long hankered after one, but
had never been able to afford it.