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The history of Jaguar	History Index I Jaguar Index

:1968 - 1979

In the late sixties Jaguar had rather too many saloon models for a relatively narrow sector of the market. Equally, those worthy models were becoming a little outdated and it was time for another quantum leap and some rationalisation.

The XJ6 arrived in 1968 and it was undoubtedly just what was required. Without question it was the finest Jaguar yet, and met with instant and ecstatic praise.

First and foremost, the shape was another Lyons masterpiece. In an era when cars were starting to lose their character, the Jaguar strongly retained its identity.

Not only did the car look superb, thanks to Bob Knight´s sterling work on development, the XJ also set new standards of ride and refinement.

With the advent of the XJ saloons, all other saloon models were deleted with the exception of the 420G which continued for a while at low volume. To satisfy a larger spread of the market with just one body style, Jaguar offered a choice of the familiar 4.2 litre XK engine, or a new 2.8 litre variation. However, the majority of XJ6´s were sold with the larger engine.

The price, at just under £2,253, as ever was quite remarkable, and the waiting lists were long to say the least. Sir William Lyon´s decision to concentrate on one model proved to be the right one, for the XJ range eventually sustained the company for nearly two decades.

During 1969 William Heynes retired from the company. He had been in overall charge of engineering since 1934 when he joined SS Cars at the age of just 32 and he had moulded together and guided a brilliant team.

Heynes and his colleagues had been thinking of a new engine for some time, inspired by the racing cars, and a need to keep ahead of their rivals. They had always leaned towards a V12 configuration and such a unit had been built for the stillborn XJ13 project in the mid-sixties.

By this time, emission controls and safety regulations were blunting the E-type´s once electrifying performance. Equally the XJ range needed another engine to satisfy a wider range of markets. In 1963 Jaguar had acquired Coventry Climax who in the fifties and sixties had built highly successful Grand Prix engines. Wally Hassan had left Jaguar in the early fifties, joined Climax and been responsible for the world-beating engines.

He was now brought back into the fold and there was nobody better the design Jaguar´s new engine. Heynes and Claude Baily designed the four cam racing engine that powered the XJ13 and, following their retirement, Hassan, and colleague Harry Mundy, carried out extensive research with single cylinder engines before building ´their´ single cam V12 of 5.3 litres. To save weight, the block was to be of aluminium and for the first time transistorised ignition was used.

Both to give the E-type a boost, and to prove the engine in a relatively low volume model, the new V12 unit was offered in the E-type from 1971. The appearance of the Series III, as the V12 engined E-type was designated, was changed quite considerably. With a larger mouth air intake, now covered by a grille and flared wheel arches to allow for the increased track and bigger tyres.

The Fixed Head model was dropped and just the Roadster and 2+2 variants produced. The open car was now based on the longer four seater floorplan and as a result could for the first time be offered with automatic transmission. Power steering was fitted ad standard on both models.

The V12 engine was remarkable for being silky smooth. It powered the car effortlessly and thus the image of the V12 E-types was entirely different from that of their predecessors. They were no longer a raw sports car but an increasingly sophisticated, touring machine.

In 1972 the car for which the engine had been primarily designed was finally launched. The XJ12 was another triumph of even greater proportions than the XJ6, which it joined rather than replaced. This was Sir William Lyons´s crowning achievement. He had set out to imitate the style of the most expensive cars with styling that suggested rather more performance than his cars really had. He was now producing a car that gave these eminent manufacturers a run for their money in any department you cared to name - style, performance, refinement, comfort or the use of traditional materials.

Performance, not surprisingly, was superb and Jaguar could now claim that the XJ12 was the fastest production four-seater in the world. That maximum speed was just short of 140 mph, whilst 60 mph could be accelerated to in 7.4 seconds.

Daimler versions of the XJ saloons were also produced though they were identical mechanically and differed in appearance only by having the traditional fluted grille. In 1972 a Vanden Plas version of the V12 engined Daimler Double Six was introduced.

One criticism levelled at the XJ saloons was that they were a little cramped in the rear and so, in September 1972, a longer wheelbase Vanden Plas Daimler Double Six was introduced. Soon after that the long wheelbase body became available for the rest of the range. These were designated the XJ6L or XJ12L, as appropriate.

Aged 71, Sir William Lyons retired in 1972, handing over the Jaguar reins to Lofty England. The company had been in existence for some 50 years and was now one of the most respected in the world. An autocratic man, Lyons had led from the front, building a sound business empire and a product that enjoyed a rare loyalty.

Apart from being a superb businessman, he was one of the finest stylists of his era. Most of his designs have stood the test of time and are a monument to his unique contribution to the history of the car in the twentieth century.

In 1973 the immensely popular XJ´s received a facelift, the new Series II versions were introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Also at Frankfurt, Jaguar launched a new body style. This was the XJ Coup?nd exceptionally stylish it was too. The basic shell was changed to have just two doors and no window frames. Thus with no central window pillar the door windows and rear quarter windows could be lowered to give a complete pillarless effect. In this guise the XJ6C and XJ12C were extremely good looking and had a most sporting appearance.

A pair of V12 XJ Coup?were being prepared and raced by Broadspeed for British Leyland in the European Touring Car Championship. In spite of using top drivers, such as Derek Bell, the cars were not successful in ´76, lacking development. Just as they were starting to become a serious proposition the following year, they were retired for good.

Sadly after a relatively small number of the beautiful Coup?had been built, Jaguar decided in November 1977 to discontinue manufacture of the short wheelbase shell and concentrate on production of the saloons on the long wheelbase version.

Meanwhile in the USA the V12 E-type was making a big impact on the racing scene. Bob Tullius, whose team Group 44 had successfully entered Triumph and MG sports cars in SCCA racing, persuaded Jaguar that the E-type would be competitive.

Jaguar decided to back Group 44 on the east coast and Joe Huffaker, who had been similarly successful with MGs over the years, on the west coast. The E-types dominated their respective regional championships for two years, breaking the Corvette domination of the series. In 1975, Tullius easily won the B Production Championship. To put this into perspective it is worth reflecting that in the previous 17 years Corvettes had won the championship 14 times.

Ironically, the E-type had gone out of production towards the end of 1974 and these racing successes just served to illustrate what an advanced design it had been in 1961. Arguably the most famous sports car of all time, some 70,000 had been built with around 60% shipped to the States. US legislation played a major role in the design of the E-type´s replacement which was not a conventional sports car but was rather more of a Grand Touring car.

Launched in September 1975 the XJ-S was closely related to the XJ saloons. While some considered the overall appearance of the new car to be somewhat controversial, no one could argue about its impressive specification. The fuel injected V12 engine was used and gave the car superb performance. 0-60 mph was achieved in 6.9 seconds and the maximum speed was 150 mph. Levels of refinement and quietness were raised to saloon car standards with air conditioning as a standard feature.

Initially both manual and automatic transmissions were available but later the manual option was dropped. With the advent of the XJ-S, Group 44 built an example to go Trans-Am professional racing. A few exploratory outings in 1976 showed the potential and a full season was planned for ´77. Group 44 fought off a multitude of Porsches with their XJ-S, which was now developing 540 bhp, and Tullius ended the season as Category 1 Trans-Am Champion. The following year, with a new lighter car fitted with a 560 bhp engine, Tullius won the last seven races and again took the Championship. By entering the ´77 XJ-S for Brian Fuerstenau, the car´s designer, to drive in the last three events, Jaguar took the Manufacturer´s Championship as well.

In 1979 the XJ saloons were extensively revised. The new Series III range was subtly restyled with a flatter roofline and a larger glass area giving the car crisper lines. This, together with improved ancillary equipment had the effect of modernising the car and increasing rear seat headroom. Indeed it seemed almost to have become a timeless style of enduring popularity.

Our thanks to Jaguar for providing this history content.

Please take the time to visit jaguar at http://www.jaguar.com/uk

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