The Jaguar XJ-S is a V12 GT That Has Matured Spectacularly
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- čas přidán 24. 02. 2023
- The XJ-S had an unenviable task. Replace the E-Type while taking Jaguar into a whole new market segment, take on the best Mercedes-Benz had to offer, and succeed in spite of its British Leyland birth. In time, it did just that.
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The script writing here is exceptional. A brilliant and absorbing insight into the car’s history and design.
I agree with that wholeheartedly.. the script writing on this channel is always great, and I always learn something new..even about cars that I have owned and thought I knew about!
And all with a sense of humour so far off the beaten track he's going to need that Land-Rover he did a few weeks back.
Absolutely- I thought the very same thing. Superb script/dialogue and a credit to the guy, possibly the best I have seen on YT. Most enjoyable.
Ta Div.
Thanks as always Andrew :)
In 1976 , I saw one for the first time. My dad said it was ugly and not a patch on the E type, but I thought, and still do, that it's the most beautiful car I have ever seen
First week of Uni back in 1995 and my mate bought a dodgy old beast of an XJS V12 with his entire student loan. Was fun while it lasted
That's behaviour I can get behind!
A few of my mates did the same thing, though with things like MG Metros rather than V12 Jags, and it's absolutely the best thing for an 18-year-old :)
“ A big cat with a drinking problem “
Brilliant line.
Not too bad...my H.E used to do about 20 MPG wafting about.
The eye description is priceless. Get this guy on Top Gear.
😆😆
Yip. He's a natural
agreed. really made me laugh. but completly true. very cool car
He’s too good for what TG has become these days - this video is actually informative and interesting!
I think it’s biggest issue at launch was that people thought it was an e type replacement and still thought of the e type as the series 1 sports car type not the series 3 grand tourer so when the xjs appeared as very much the grand tourer people didn’t like it. I think they are awesome
I was 15 years old and at secondary when the XJS was launched, and I first saw it on a magazine cover and I was just blown away by it’s beauty.
I would take the S over the E type any day. The E type is the most overrated car of all time. It is nowhere near the most beautiful car, as so many say, and in fact I always found it rather ungainly and oddly proportioned
@@stanleymasterson1135 I think it’s a case of never meet your hero’s
@@stevenclarke5606 The XKE was never my hero. It was ugly from the first time I saw it in a magazine. Never understood the people who thought it was the most beautiful car. There’s a large contingent of people who agree with me that it’s awkward and homely
A red E-type was a phallus on wheels, especially the early smaller-mouthed versions before the enlarged and chrome-bedizened later meatus / glans / nose. It was an organic piece of art. But did that necessarily make it a good car? Just asking - though I'm sure there's a Leyland angle or two to it too.
Jags I owned were (mostly) fun cars to drive, but less fun to own when it came to maintenance and parts. In AU, the exclusive importer/wholesaler/ reseller was the Bryson group; one might as well order the replacement parts gold plated - they wouldn't have been any more expensive.
Never owned an E- or XJS-type, but have driven. Owned MkII, Mk10, XJ12.
My overall impression of Jags through ownership and broader driving of that era was that the cars were a clever mixture of well-made, genius, and weird bits of backyard-shed-cobbled-together do-dads. That were less than optimally reliable and, in AU, pretty much irreplaceable.
My (less exciting) collection of P4, P5, and P6 Rovers was more reliable by far, and far easier to work on. And cost relatively little for parts (until those eventually became NLA).
None of my Jags managed to live, first lifetime, more than about 200K miles. All my Rovers managed that and more, with my fave - a 1956 90 - finally being retired at 512K miles thanks to a blown head gasket.
Another excellently scripted and narrated piece, Ed! Your enthusiasm and thorough research, your smooth linking /sequencing / segueing, your clarity of diction (and your lack of overbearing, irrelevant, mumble-confusing music!) are continually leading your channel way beyond the humdrum.
Whether YT becomes a long-term occupation or is just a stepping stone to other things (like affording a nice Beemer and funding your studies, etc), you've refined the art beyond many of your niche peers. I raise you my (non-alcoholic) libation!
@@stevenclarke5606
“Heroes”
Your enthusiasm for this car is infectious. I’ve owned 2 of the V12 Jags, the first was a Daimler Double Sovereign and the second was a XJS, in red with the cream leather. The XJS was a beautiful car, it drove perfectly except that it would stall after a few mins stopped at traffic lights and then would not restart for about 10 mins. This would never happen if the bonnet was open, making it particularly difficult to diagnose, other than that it was perfect. I’ve had other Jags, and if I was buying a XJS now I would get a smaller engine model I think. My relationship with Jags is complex, when I have them I’m always frustrated by small details.. eg air con not cold enough, heater not hot enough, changing a light bulb needs a degree in engineering and the dexterity of an ambidextrous octopus.. etc etc, but then as soon as I sell it I desperately want another.
Growing up, I wanted a Jaguar. I would only be able to afford a used one, so everyone told me to forget about that dream...as it would break on me so often I would hate it. I always regretted not buying one anyway.
@@warrenny in total I have had 4 jags, 2 v12s and 2 6 cylinder, despite annoyances and the stalling XJS in traffic they have actually been very reliable, more so than most other cars from the same era. And parts are so very cheap
If it had the 4L Straight Six from the start instead of the V12, I think that it would've been more well received.
"It would stall after a few mins stopped at traffic lights and then would not restart for about 10 mins". That's weird I had a Peugeot 205 GTI that had that exact same Hot Start issue, damn anoying. The culprit was the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system.
Great description from a young man, I have this week just sold my V12 XJSC having enjoyed, frustrated and spent heavily over 7 years. Great experience
Thanks Michael :)
Do you think you'd ever get another?
The XJ-S is like a fine wine, it just gets better and better with age. I've seen many of them from launch to discontinuation and now classics and as you say they are still becoming 'cooler'. I've never driven one or even set foot inside one but I'd really like one. Great video Ed and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Anthony :)
Prices for these are going up quickly so a sorted (probably later one) represents a great investment- but who wouldn’t want to drive it anyway?
I remember the first time I saw one of these. It was 1999, I was 18, it drove past me and then parked. I saw the V12 badge on the front and thought to myself - how on earth do they fit a V12 in such a low bonnet. It was not until many years later that I found out what it actually was and that it predates my existence! It is one of the most beautiful cars every made.
You never disappoint! Do keep it up. I'm 75 and your fresh view of these cars, some of which I was lucky to own, is so fascinating. A lot of your terrific research has been news to me too.
Thanks John, that's exceptionally kind of you to say :)
another great video Twin-Cam. I paid £8k for an 85 B plated white V12 HE back in 1991. Thar was the price of a new Ford Escort. I LOVED that car and had to sell it when child three of five appeared in 1993. I still have dreams to this day that I get the car back and I am 58 now! Cheapest V12 motor anyone can buy
Thanks Bill :)
back in 1982, I was a spotty long haired 17 year old apprentice mechanic. my governors pride and joy was his bought from new 18 month old XJS. we trundled off in it one cold winters morning to collect a Triumph Stag that had broken down on the bottom end of the now M3; in those days it was all road cones, contraflows and road works. we got the Stag working but it had an engine fault which made it difficult to drive for someone who'd only had a driving licence for 6 weeks, so he asked me if I thought I could drive his XJS and of course I said yes (it was customary not to argue with your boss in those days). he got in the Stag and being an ex-rally driver he went off like a bat out of hell. I had no idea how to get back to the garage so stuck to his tail at speeds I can't possibly publish, through all those road cones and contraflows literally by the seat of my underpants!
thanks to my time at the garage I went on to drive various other high performance cars including a MK1 Maserati Ghibli, some E-types, MK1 Dino, loads of other British sports cars and I can honestly say the XJS remained the most wonderful piece of machinery I'd taken down the road.....
until....
I worked at TWR and drove Tom Walkinshaws own 6.3 litre XJS through the Oxfordshire countryside 🤩
Love this!
The Leyland Princess isnt bad either
Hello, as a long term subscriber to your channel I thoroughly enjoy your reviews. The fact that you rarely drive the cars (I presume insurance is an issue) is a real bonus. Driving on camera can never convey the sensations in a meaningful fashion. As a long time driver of classic Jaguars, XJ models I particularly enjoyed your mature, well researched and historically placed presentation today. Hoping there are plenty more car reviews and brochure reviews to come. Thank you
Thanks Richard :)
I think this is the most well written script you've done to date, which is saying something. I was at a stoplight in a posh area of Dallas in the early 90s, and dark grey convertible with a camel interior pulled up next to me in all its purring topless glory. That image always comes to mind whenever I picture the lush life. Unforgettable.
Thanks David :)
I've had a 1989 XJS 3.6 straight six with fuel injection and an engine management computer under the passenger footwell that returns a steady 35 mpg. It is now 2023 and I've owned this car since 2004. It is currently one of 15 left, on the road in the UK. I love it and have named her Saphira. I hope she sees me out, I am 75 this year. After 19 years in my garage, used daily, there is Nothing that I would ever swap for Saphira.
I have eyes in my head as well and this was a brilliant video about a brilliant car that any child of the 1970's surely still lusts over.
No modern car comes close to the feeling you get when you sit in it with the classic interior that's never been beaten. Wonderful!
I sat in a few used ones just to dream...the interiors are special.
Thanks Phillip :)
Exceptional story telling as always.
Thanks Nick :)
Always regarded the XJ series Jaguars as having one of the best suspension set ups of all time, alongside perhaps Citroen with the DS , Alfa Romeos Alfetta . I’ve ridden in XJ series cars but not had the pleasure to drive one. However, the immediate impression is your sat IN the suspension, not ON it. This gave excellent anti dive geometry for braking , affording the suspension good soft travel, but the low centre of gravity giving it excellent stability. Genius. The V12 has been heralded as the best production engine of all time, quite rightly so. Complex, possibly, thirsty, definitely but ultra smooth with the best balance frequencies of any engine configuration. I remember with great fondness collecting car brochures and the original XJS brochure in 1975 was a must to have, transforming you to an exotic lifestyle , away from the glum news of strikes , power cuts , political harshness that the car’s environment generated. Would love one, over any Ferrari or German manufacturer.
It's common across many of their cars other than the E-Type, but Jaguar's design and engineering is terminally slept upon. From 1948 to 1975, and possibly through to 1996, they made some of the best cars in the world.
I always wanted an XJS especially one of the late 4 litre ones with the newer bumpers...
Now's probably the best time to buy one!
25:58 fun fact, inside that Lucas AB14 ignition amplifier, there is a GM HEI ignition module, the same as you'd find on late 70s Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Buick sedans, or perhaps on a GM pick-up truck. Marelli had their own version of the HEI used in Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, and while the XJS V12 made do with just one HEI module, the Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS got two of them.
My brother is ten years younger than I am. Many years ago, when he was in his late twenties, he lusted after one of these cars that was up for sale at a local garage. In the end, for various reasons, he didn't buy it (mostly having to do with the garage's dodgy rep). Soon after, he went on a business trip to Scotland, being flown by his company rather than having to drive. I offered to pick him up from the airport on his return, to save him having to pay parking charges. As we emerged from the airport building, I walked straight up to a beautiful, gold XJS that I'd spotted on my way in. "What do you think?" I asked, reaching for the driver's side door handle. The look on his face was priceless, a mix of envy, rage, and maybe just a smidgen of grudging brotherly love. "Gotcha," I said, walking off to my actual car, parked at the other end of the car park. In the long list of gags we've pulled on one another over the years, this remains my favourite, because just for one tiny second he really believed me and the look on his face said it all.
This is peak! Love it!
Congratulations. I think this is your best video commentary yet.
Thanks David :)
"The kids are expected to smoke", yes, but its a Jag, they'll be smoking cigars, or maybe a pipe.
Classy children ;)
One of your better reviews. I could not see one in my driveway but the dream is there.
Thanks Russell :)
I've owned a 5.3 coupé XJS HE and a 6.0L V12 convertible and they were both lovely cars, miss them both
Ed! Your best yet. Fantastic!
Thanks Philip :)
Out of all cars I ever saw in my life, this is the most beautiful one. Perfect proportions, lines and details. R34 Skyline GT-R is close second and '96 Aston Martin V8 Vantage - third.
My Dad had loved them since they first came on the market, but they were few and far between in the early years here in NZ. However, in 1987, he realised his dream and bought a 1977 model and decided that we should all ride in it that Christmas to the family gathering 20-some miles away There were four of us.....Dad, Mum, my sister and me.....and I was 18. I am the same height as you, so I sat behind Mum and my 16-year-old sister sat behind the seat set for my 6'1" father. Her being only 5'3", I don't know which of us was more uncomfortable on that trip, but I still recall having to fold myself into the back, spread my knees either side of the seat back and lean forward for the duration of the trip! I am so glad it wasn't any further afield, that's for sure. When I was looking for my first classic, having teenage daughters of my own at the time, I kept that experience in mind. I eventually found a 2+2 that suited - at least when the roof was down - in the form of a 1974 Triumph Stag. Now in their late teens / early 20s, my daughters still happily sit in the back of the Stag if we all go for a cruise in it, as albeit a little cramped with their leg length, it is not a physical impossibility like the XJS. It hasn't stopped me from lusting after one though and one day an XJS will grace the garage for sure! Great review, Ed - and spot on the money too when it comes the the XJS and her followers. There are so many more now than there were in the early 80s and rightfully so, in my opinion. All the best.
Love that! Total joke of a four-seater, but last week I also tried on a Stag for size, funnily enough.
Thanks as always mate :)
I had a one in this colour for 16 years , toured all over Europe , never let me down and only had a blown high pressure steering hose but could still drive to the garage for replacement, sold with 86000 on the clock just to upgrade to XKR ,it was great GT
Thanks for a great entertaining review. I was part of the tiny Jaguar engineering team that took this car into it's final 6.0l V12 form early in my career. Was probably about the same age as you are now Ed. Wonderful times many happy miles driven in one of these.
Thanks William :)
I think there's a video to be made about the V12 engine at some point...
I was working in a main dealer in 1979 and we actually got a memo from BL saying something along the lines of that existing orders for XJS would be fulfilled but not to take any further orders for the car as production was being halted for the foreseeable future and they didn't know if or when it would recommence.
Part of the sales success in the late eighties we were told on a factory course was due to the motorsport success in the Australian Touring Car series culminating in a win at Bathurst with Peter Brock (Australian motor racing legend) and Wynn Percy. The guy at the factory said that after the Bathurst win they sold their entire years allocation of cars for the Australian market in three months with wealthy Australians walking into Jaguar showroom and simply ordering 'one of those Jaguars that Brock and Percy took over the mountain'
That's a cool story! I wasn't aware of its Aussie motorsport success, unlike the Mini Cooper video I made a while ago :)
Don't think Brock drove the xjs with twr in the mid 80s.
I've always liked the XJS, and who doesn't like a V12. The Jag V12 looks rather difficult to work on though. As someone else said on another XJS video, it looks like an aerial shot of a petrochemical plant.
It's pretty simple to work on. Almost everything you need is up on top except crankshaft position sensor on later cars. Nothing about the fuel injection or ignition is especially complicated - there's just a lot of it to run 12 cylinders. They reward a methodical approach and someone with enough IQ to buy the Repair Operations Manual and actually study it before diving in. Those who don't bother to understand it first are the noisy idiots who tie themselves in knots, blame the engine for their own incompetence and fit a boat-anchor American V8 instead.
I owned one for two years. A VERY smooth engine, wonderful ride, very thirsty. The three speed automatic transmission slowed it down but once moving quite nice. Back in the 1990s when I owned it a switch to a four speed auto was a popular upgrade though I didn't do it.
I drove one in the mid 1980s and it was fantastic in many ways. The 3 speed auto was the main drawback. It was great on roads with medium to high speed sweeping corners, although sometimes coming up to a tight corner you had to remember that you were driving a heavy car that didn't really want to slow down and make a sudden change in direction. I would have loved one with a 5-speed, but probably would have got too many speeding tickets.
@@alexjenner1108 When I bought mine, for $7,500, it was from a private seller but in a Jaguar dealer's shop, the repair bill was around $7,000 and the kid didn't have the money. I kept it for two years, oil changes and a set of tires were my only expenses, other than a LOT of gas. It was a beautiful resprayed teal blue over tan, Euro headlight conversion. I sold it for $7,250, a very fortunate ownership experience. Oh, the headliner was coming down, common with those cars.
This XJ S is lovely. The lovely Bordeaux / Burgundy shade really suits it too. As usual Ed what a fantastic presentation! Coincidentally I’ve recently been binge watching Inspector Morse and his superb Burgundy MK2. So this video has come at an opportune time indeed. I do remember the XJ S being the ‘Saint’s’ car of choice in the later colour serial with Ian Ogilvy in the lead role. Though it is hard to choose between that and the Volvo P1800 which Roger Moore used when he played the lead.
Thanks as always mate 🙂
Another well written history, well done, Ed! 👏🏼👍🏻😀
Thanks as always Frank :)
What a fantastic and well-founded report. Great.
THANK YOU 🙏
Thanks mate :)
Full of facts and very watchable, thank you Twin- Cam
Thanks Martin :)
All the XJS love lately… Almost thought you, Ian, and Steph reviewed the exact same motor, but hers was a more recent (ish) example.
Excellent review! A lot of hard work has gone into this. Very well done for avoiding incorrect descriptions such as "flying rear buttresses" or perculating myths like "the buttresses were there to support a mid-engine design". Great attention to detail throughout 👍
Thanks mate, very kind of you to say :)
Your XJ-S is absolutely gorgeous. Best colour, imo!
Brilliant, best insight into the cars development and evolution I’ve seen yet, an A+++ from me for information and effort into presentation into a car most of us would not even consider an evolving classic!
Another cracking review. It’s criminal you don’t have more subscribers.
Thanks Andrew, that’s very kind of you to say 🙂
Great video Ed, and quite different from the other XJS content out there.
Thanks Alec :)
Gorgeous classic, excellently reviewed!
Thanks Michael :)
Excellent video. Genuinely one of your best. I found your rear seat segment bloody hilarious 😂 Keeping up the great work. 👍
Thanks mate! There was a section I cut out actually, that will be uploaded as a short eventually :)
Fantastic Video Ed, well presented and researched and whst a stunning looking Jag.....
As a owner of a 87' V12 XJS I can only agree with your comments on the car.
I adore the XJS so much, with it as my childhood dream car and finally being lucky to own one.
I have never driven something that gets under your skin as much as my XJS.
Through all the cars flaws, it's the best GT car of the old age
Nothing not to like! It was a great listen and so interesting too! Really good job in sharing this! TY :)
Thank you :)
I had an early (#156 off the line) XJS and aside from it's tendency to rust and inability to pass a petrol station (but it would pass anything else) and it was a fabulous car. 0-60 was nothing special. 70 - 130 was STUNNING. On an Autobahn of course. :-) Loved it. Bui 17mpg ? A bit frightening :-)
Here in America, that 17mpg would be just fine. I envy you for owning one! I can only imagine the feeling
17mpg? You really weren't trying! 🙂
@@warrenny17 mpg in UK gallons, probably a few off that in US gallons. Still worth it though.
@@AmosDohms 100% worth it
My favourite car of all time ❤ keep up the great work dude.
18:00... oh my god, I'm still laughing!
You are so good making reviews, very well documented and profesional speech, improving each time, but the fine sense of humor you offer here is absolutely out of the scale, you're THE BEST, and so young... that will be a good road, I'll follow it!
Thanks mate :)
I saw a lilac XJS at the motor show in 1975.It was a Daily Express competition prize.Love them to this day.
Looks as dramatic today as the first time I saw pictures of one in a car book I borrowed at the school library many many years ago😍
the xj-s has always been one of my most favorite cars since i was a kid. i specially love the later model convertibles. great episode. thank you
Lovely car went for a long drive once and at 100 mph as the passenger fantastic lovely ride and serene quietness. Wonderful video.
Thanks :)
Chuffing sublime! Never said better. Well done.
Superb commentary Ed. I currently have a 1987 Bordeaux Red XJS 5.3 HE and can resonate with everything you've said. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Graeme! I’ve seen your email, and I’ll reply to you Monday morning 🙂
Thanks for the vid Ed.
Thanks mate :)
A fresh take on this car, nice!
Glad you've done proper research on the XJS. Well done.
Thanks David :)
Carry on the good work..
To heck with battery “ motorcars “ 😊
Hi, I really enjoy your channel. I've been watching a while now think you did a great job getting that engine out and splitting it. I had a mk2 metro back in the very late 90s. Until it rotted away. But it does fill me with fond memories
Mark
The point you make at the 12:00 mark, I would argue that people expected Jaguar to look back to the past for styling cues due to nostalgia for the iconic vehicles Jaguar had produced in the past.
Wonderful video! 👌🏻😊
Thanks Mathijs :)
@@TwinCam
In the meantime I encouraged my fellow club-members of the Jaguar Daimler Club Holland to also watch it. And they think it’s a pretty good video as well! 👍🏻
They like it so much that some of us are now suddenly considering using videos like yours to play at the club-stand during gatherings! But that leaves the daunting task of finding more videos of similar quality… Might be difficult. 😅🤷🏻♂️
Big video Ed! Very nice 👍
When I was very young and knew nothing about cars except that my dad's Chevrolet K5 Blazer seemed pretty sweet, I knew of the Jaguar XJS.
I recall the print ads stating it was the fastest production car in the world....or something like that. And if I'm not mistaken, it was in the Guinness book for longest braking skid marks....
It was probably the first car that made me realize that Americans were not the last word in status vehicles. 😆
Thanks as always Warren :)
Sounds like the outgoing E-type was something of a bargain!
I know for a while after they were discontinued, one couldn’t give an E-type away.
Once again, at Great Driving Days in Redditch, there is a V12 XJS that anyone can go along and drive.
I loved driving it, and agree with all you said about it.
I liked the sketch in the film ‘The Spy who Dumped me’ win the manual XJS.
The E-Type was exceptionally affordable, but people seem to forget that almost nobody with any money bought one. They were all bought by posers in the later years because they weren't actually that good.
@@TwinCam The series 3 E-Type is a very different proposition to the original series 1 / 1.5 cars. Some years back at Silverstone two such E-Types were parked next to each other. What a contrast! Definitely a case of sports car v's grand tourer. I'm afraid that the elongated shape of the series 3 E-Type is too diluted from the original form for me. Still an impressive car but not for me: always an XJ-S V12 over a series 3 E-Type. Interesting that some series 3 early '70s stock was "distressed" in the end. Says a lot about the market and tastes at the time. XJ-S ( and XJ coupe ) were much needed. If there is one slight criticism of XJ-S other than the practicalities of the interior cabin space packaging as documented, it would be the design language inconsistency in the detail that was inevitable as Doug Thorpe was not Malcolm Sayer.
My stepdad had one of these when he started dating my Mom. I was 14 or 15 and I’d get him to drive my girlfriend and me to school dances. He sold it before I turned 16, probably at my Mom*s request, but he said it was due to high maintenance costs and fuel prices. I definitely would’ve “borrowed” it ALL the time! Still love the car’s design and the sound of that V12. 😍
Always loved these. Why did the motoring press do a hatchet job? Because: motoring journalists. They're all expert drivers (in their minds), all know better than every engineer, but more than all of that, they have to sell their words, so controversy is always attractive. I prefer your genuine opinions and factual descriptions.
Aww! No test drive? The styling is beautiful and enduring. Glad to hear the British workforce not getting bashed so much these days for the problems. There were a lot of skilled people employed who often were told to work with inferior and/or damaged parts.
I always liked this one as well!
Loved the sarcastic biology lesson!
Good to see. I LOVE my XJS-C. A beautiful car. Perfect for a Grand Tour. Criminal that it’s not considered a classic by the state.
Have had 9 jags over the years...loved everyone. Have had 2 with chevy v8s...still have 87 xjsc v12...get compliments everytime I take her out....repairs costly but worth it
I wasn't aware that it has been in production for such an extended time 😲
Very good review
My all time favourite car.
I have had 3 of them over the years.
Brilliant in depth history of me favourite car ever. I have a 1978 pre he and love it. Good man for not calling them ‘flying buttresses’!
People forget that the E-type never had a wooden dash, the XJ-S was continuing that ‘tradition’.
Thanks George :)
As I commented on insta Ed, these things are beautiful. Doesn’t get the respect it deserves
Indeed. Just brilliant. Jaguar's design is so slept on.
Well done An underdog comes into the light. Super well done video...bravo!
Thanks Chris 🙂
I do like the look of the XJS, and the flying buttress gives the Coupe a style edge over the convertible. Except for its thirsty fuel habit and the ridiculous cost of rebuilding its V12, its a wonderful car.
Fuel cost is blamed on the V12 but in truth is mostly the crap 3 speed gearbox. They'll do mid-high 20s mpg if converted to a 5 speed manual.
That said, I still have the GM TH400 slushbox and get 16-18mpg driving around normally (I don't live inside a city), and can easily top 20mpg on a run.
Good luck finding another V12 which does better on fuel - even most German and Italian V8s use as much fuel as a V12 XJ-S. Even mid 2000s cars like the Mercedes CL600 is little faster and uses as much fuel. They have a much higher bork-factor than an XJ-S too!
@@jamieduff1981 No doubt an overdrive conversion will increase mpg's - but not into the high 20's! Nothing however, can do anything about the exorbitant cost of rebuilding a Jag V12.
@@Thomas63r2 it's really very rare the engine should need rebuilt unless someone has boiled it to death. When maintained they normally last to much higher milages than most engines of this era. You'd be very, very unlucky to have to open one up before 100,000 miles. Honestly the engine is strong and long lasting.
@@jamieduff1981 100,000 miles is hardly praise. At this point in time, the low mileage and seldom driven examples do not have much to worry about that is true. The problem is that these cars values rarely make overhauling a tired engine a worthy proposition. Instead the car goes to the Jaguar specialty car breakers to provide parts for the remaining road worthy examples. Monied enthusiasts like Harry's Garage can splurge $25k on a proper engine build - but he is a millionaire without worries.
@@Thomas63r2 It's dangerous to over state things or over-claim. 100,000 miles isn't much, I agree, but few 1970s designs would still have their cylinder heads on the original gasket(s) by that milage and most would be showing cylinder bore wear. There are plenty of these engines at near double that milage.
I had a suspicion it was Harry's Garage which had frightened you off this engine wrt rebuild costs. It should be remembered that most of what he has done to cars and that engine in particular is unnecessary and done purely because he can afford it. That engine for his XJ-C had some corrosion on the cylinder heads and only came apart because of a leaking crankshaft end seal. 99% of people would have replaced the seal and, having discovered the corrosion, welded up the heads and refaced them and perhaps the block to match. Whilst in there they'd measure the bores and bearing clearances and put it all back together. Harry's expense was two things; firstly hours and hours of labour at a premium rate fiddling around cleaning external cosmetic things etc, and secondly a complete runaway of parts expenditure simply because it would look prettier with new X, Y and Zs on and individually the parts weren't that expensive.
In summary, nobody needs to spend Harry's Garage money getting one of these engine perfectly functional again and indeed got as good as it is to watch, Harry's Garage is the ultimate lesson in scope creep time after time.
Great review!
Thanks Gavin :)
As usual, Ed, your script, research and narration is second to none.
But yeah. That particular XJS makes me very, very moist.
Thanks Rob :)
As others have said the presentation and writing here is excellent. Always impresses me. I remember these cars as a kid and they always seemed huge to me. I always think of them as a big car. But seeing you standing next to it it doesn't seem so big compared to cars these days.
Thanks mate, very kind of you to say :)
Even as someone who was born in 2000, they've always looked huge to me! But spending some time around it, the car feels perfectly dimensioned to have presence and enough room without being totally excessive.
Jaguar has long perfected the art of building an inverse Tardis - much bigger on the outside than the inside! My F-Type is the modern incarnation of the technique. 🙂
I remember the e type with a 5,7 "ltr v 12 very rare car these days, it is like a merlin engine in a jaguar fast and furious 😎 😊 🤟 😊 😊
Uniquely stylish and sublimely quiet. Coupled with a silky smooth V12 with effortless power you have a Jaguar XJ-S. I've Owned one for nearly 30 years! and found that good servicing with good parts and a dry garage equals a good reliable car. The engine has proved to be without any doubt, bullet proof although I never drive it hard. I never wanted to thrash it, why would I ? It's a grand tourer, and it still looks fabulous today as it was the first day I bought it, to replace my E-type. Always makes me feel special. Wonderful car. Thank you Jaguar.
Great video and a great car.
Thanks as always Ian :)
An outstanding video, of a much less than outstanding car.
Gorgeous and brilliant it may not be, but back in the day, it certainly was the classiest of sports coupe’s and quintessentially British.
An excellent review, well told story of the big GT cat. Wish I had bought one when they where afordable old cars. Enjoyed watching, Nice one.
Thanks Mark 🙂
Jaguar has a almost unmatched history of manufacturing beautiful cars, the XK, the E Type and the Mk2 amongst them, and while I've always liked the XJS for me it is the criminally understated car it is mechanically based on - the original Series 1 XJ - is quite the most elegant Jaguar of them all. God how I want one - and well know that ship sailed years ago alas.
Absolutely. Jaguar design is so slept on.
A superb explanation of how a once maligned car rose above the riff-raff of crass tabloid car scuz and spread its beautiful wings. Yes it was, and is a superlative touring car, not a sports car like the earlier E-Type models. It’s a beautiful thing, especially those rear buttresses that you so well pointed out. That sort of architecture doesn’t get much criticism when it’s on Salisbury Cathedral.
This is a majestic beast of a cat. As you say, it simply got better with age, with ironically the previous “Saint” driving Richard Burton around London in “The Wild Geese” while I made do with a Corgi toy (in white obviously and with the stick man Saint logo on the bonnet) belonging to his long forgotten successor. I guess that was an in-joke at the time, probably conjured up by Euan Lloyd and Roger Moore.
Somehow surviving the curse of BL, the Jag got better. Mine was the 5.3 V12 in obligatory Midnight Blue with 5 spoke alloys. The bonnet was so long and you sit very low. You mentioned the fuel injection spaghetti - even my Mechanic refuses to touch it…
The most visually appealing thing about anyXJS are those stunning headlights - sort of stretched octagonal and jet cat like - put to best effect in an opening scene in “Scent of a Woman” when the evil headmaster (straight out of Shawshank Redemption) drove his brand new one up the school drive.
The car only became a full convertible a decade or more after its introduction and, as the figures show, continued to sell better than ever.
My favorite ride in my 1981 XJS has to be from London to Lisbon. Fair to say the fuel economy is so bad that it’s cheaper to hire a jet and and a convertible at the other end. But that drive was sublime.
Thanks mate :)
I'm with you on the headlamps. I think they look phenomenal, and I'm surprised that some people prefer the US-spec quad units. No accounting for taste!
@@TwinCam Yeah completely agree. The US market destroyed the looks of many Euopean cars. The Mercedes SL was given “twins” as well - the Euro headlamps gave it class. But anyone who prefers the twins on the nose of the XJS needs to have their driving license revoked and psychotherapy sessions applied mandatory…
Well done, Ed. That is a gorgeous car indeed. I remember when these came out. The message from Jaguar was confused. Nobody seemed to know what it was. It had the glorious V12. I had an automatic gearbox. Dichotomy number 1. It had the sensuous litheness of the XJ-12 saloon but the interior trim of an E-Type. Dichotomy number 2. A new model can often survive one dichotomy, but seldom 2. The issue was simply that Jaguar aimed it at the wrong part of the market. What it really was, and is, is the sweet GT version of the XJ-12 Coupé. Thing is, that is a market segment that values luxury and tradition more than sportiness, and the lack of wood spoke of sportiness in a car that was happier doing the Grand Tour than ripping around a race track.
When it comes to these, I am torn. I love the styling details of the early cars, but I want the drop head, inline 6, and 5 speed manual gearbox of the very late cars. Surprisingly, at 6'2", I fit behind the wheel rather nicely, too. I believe an XJ-S would be the ideal garage mate to go along side my 1990 Volvo 240DL estate, at least once the Volvo is upgraded to something akin to 262C spec.
I'm generally a convertible lover, but an XJ-S convertible loses my beloved buttresses!
Great overview and nicely worded presentation.
At the beginning of COVID shutdown down three years ago, after my 3rd Fusion lease was coming to an end, I figured, I may not be around anyway, so why not buy what had been my favorite designed Jag (the XJS) and see it I can make it my daily driver?
I found a ‘91 with 37K miles on it in Indiana and made the online purchase. Because XJS’s had been the “unloved” Jag for so long, it was an exceptionally reasonable price and it hasn’t let me down yet. I’ve babied it and paid for preemptive maintenance - and yes, the gas gauge moves about the same speed as the hour hand. But it’s worth the extreme smoothness and comfort and I enjoy when younger kids look out the window and realize that not all cars used to have the same silhouette as so many do today.
The XJS is smoother and quieter on the road than my wife’s ‘17 Volvo S90. You can hardly hear road noise. Jaguar really produced a wonderfully perfect GT in the XJS. While I think the growl of a V8 XK would be fun to try, this is the properly tamed feline and when it’s gone one day (hopefully not for a very long time), I doubt anything could replace it.
Thanks Christian :)
That's a lovely story. As for the idea of a V8, I'm one of those people who has silly ideas regarding engines almost daily. I had a thought about a Rover SD1 with a modern Jag V8 in it the other day. That'd be a cool thing.
@@TwinCam Would love to see it! Perhaps a challenge to your viewers to seek out someone who has already done it or will do it.
Beautiful car 👍🙂👍
My first memory of this was when Simon Templer had a white one in the Return of the Saint, 1978ish :)
You have made absolutely the best movie about XJS what I ever saw. I am a lucky owner of US version from 1988., I am now working on it and I hope to place a registration plates still this spring to enjoy this incredible and real British V12. I my opinion when Ford bought Jag in 1989 than the history of Jag had been ended. Today cars with "Jaguar" on them has nothing common with model you perfectly described and tested. It is a pitty but In the same way as RR is BMW and Bentley is VW.
Thanks Rafal, that's very kind of you to say :)
I do think it's an enormous shame that Jaguar has become such a shadow of itself. I'm afraid to say the future is bleak.
I adore the XJS - definitely my favourite car of all time - early pre-HE on GKN alloys please!
Those alloys are lush.
The thing about car styling is that it is always of its time. I remember the XJS being launched and I hated the concave flying buttress. It just didn't blend well with the front half of the car. The headlamps were a bit of an odd shape. Unlike the XJ saloon or the E-Type the styling just didn't gel. Now 48 years later it doesn't look so bad, but that is only because modern cars are even weirder. Only this morning I was observing weird twisted teardrop shaped headlamps on the cars travelling the other way, and their totally discordant flank styling, and thought to myself "what were they thinking of?". So yes, put it amongst the current crop of monstrosities and the XJS looks fabulous.
The car is gold. End of story 👍⚡️🔱
First saw the XJ-S on the Saint TV show with Ian Ogilvy and loved it from then. Got a chance to ride in one for a short period and found it very small and almost claustrophobic on the inside. But still think it's a beautiful car, particularly the later ones and in convertible form. And given enough of a budget I'd definitely buy one.
That's funny to hear. I certainly expected it to feel claustrophobic, but I thought it perfectly sized considering its low-slung nature. Then again, I'm not a tall man!
I'm amazed they're still so cheap in the UK. The XJ Saloons are shockingly expensive considering how cheap these are.
Yes - me too - I always liked the red XJS driven by Gambit in The New Avengers too…….
I am always surprised at how i don't fit in the xj6 s1-3 and xj40 and x300's, given I'm only 6'4", the xjs I think I've sat in it and had the same issue which sucks as I love the styling and the story on them.