Nelson 1952
A slightly belated welcome to the XJS Forum to you from me
I'm with you all the way on this one, here is the text of a letter I wrote a while ago to Andrew English, Motoring Correspondent from The Daily Telegraph following an article he wrote on eighties cars in the motoring section.........
link here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/274 ... elves.html
Re Brace Yourselves!
Dear Andrew English,
I read your article in last Saturdays paper with interest and amusement, there were some great and some awful cars produced in the eighties, much like every other decade I would guess.
However, I have a question for you.
Why is it, even now, journalists love to knock the Jaguar XJS? Twelve years after production finished, when surely it has proven itself to be a great GT Car of the seventies, eighties and nineties?
OK, it wasn’t an E-Type replacement, but then it was never intended to be, though journalists at the time expected that and panned it accordingly. The earlier models drank fuel like it was going out of fashion, but the XJS ran for nineteen years and was a completely different car above and under the skin at the end from the first carburettor V12’s. Initially sales were poor and Jaguar contemplated ending production, the intervention of Sir William Lyons however resulted in an improved car in many different ways, trim, engines, body detail etc. and sales picked up. Subsequent development by Jaguar and later under Ford ownership produced what I think was one of the greatest 2+2 coupes. The convertible versions are even now well sought after and command high prices.
At the close of production in 95/96 it was the most successful car that Jaguar had ever made, a record only broken relatively recently with the Ford inspired “massed produced“ “S-Type” and “X-Type” models.
I run a 1995 XJS 4.0 Coupe. I use it every day and do approximately 15,000 miles a year in it at an average fuel economy of 25mpg. Current mileage is 166,000 miles but I think it’s just nicely run in!
It is a comfortable, fast, sure footed cat. Smooth, quiet, relaxing, beautiful, reliable and not in any way as shoddy, boring and downright ugly as some of the new cars that are recommended in the motoring press. I struggle to equate it to the image of the XJS which is still pushed by journalists as thirsty, unreliable, impractical, ugly, expensive to maintain, and generally a car that only a snobbish member of the Golf Club would own, and only then because they have no taste.
Perhaps you would like to come and drive my XJS and write an article about it - which in a small way may set the record straight.
You are very welcome to do so.
Yours Sincerely,
Needless to say I never received a reply.
Regards
Tony
