We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar XJ this year and wonder when we will be able to own the 1st XJ model.
The Jaguar XJ series made its firsts appearance in 1968 and continued production for 6 generations, reaching a production number of more than 800,000 units sold globally. This figure is over half of all Jaguars ever built and gives you an idea of its popularity. The original intent of Jaguar management was to create a single model that would replace four of its predecessors. They had no way of knowing how well the model would catch on with loyal Jaguar enthusiasts.
As the Jaguar legend goes, the XJ was the inspiration of Sir William Lyons, the founder of the company, who had a vision of the future as he saw it in the 1960s era. The original XJ was a conglomeration of the hot selling Mark II, taking compact sport features and adding to it, elements of the Jaguar 420 and the S Type.
With several Jaguar models in existence, keeping track of them all with appropriate upgrades as needed became complicated. Jaguar boasted a total of seven Jaguar models and two Daimlers with a variety of 6-cylinder engines. Lyons had the notion of replacing four ranges of the S Type and 420 with a single model, offering a decent range of choices including engines of both Daimler and Jaguar types. The car was envisioned as a medium size S Type combined with the 420. Lyons saw this configuration as the ideal size to suit the tastes and preferences of a growing international market.
The 1968 Jaguar XJ Series I made its debut just prior to the London Motor Show on September 26 of 1968. It was advertised as Jaguar’s best saloon car that embodied sportiness, comfort, performance and style. The final version presented to the world featured a base model with a 2.8-liter engine with a lower price that was minus the leather trim. The 4.2 engine as a straight six with twin carbs, was moderately priced for its class and generated 245 horse power, accelerating from 0 to 60mph in 9 seconds with a top speed of 124 miles per hour. It was sold with a 4-speed manual gearbox or a slow working automatic. It won “Car of the Year” in Britain, but was not considered for the European distinction overall. The 1968 XJ6 had an engine, the same basic unit which won Le Mans 5 times in the 1950s with the road going version pushing out 245bhp in a car weighing just over 1500kg.
