RE: Jaguar XJR: Spotted
Discussion
Loplop said:
Numerous E34 M5s have been for sale at the same or less money over the past few months.
An E34 540i is just as fast even in auto guise which would set you back about £3k.
You'd also get a tidy E39 M5 for that money.
Two different cars though? I can't see how an E39 is comparable at all. An E34 540i is just as fast even in auto guise which would set you back about £3k.
You'd also get a tidy E39 M5 for that money.
The Jag is a classic and is very much a weekend car for enthusiasts. It's also the last handbuilt Jaguar and has a huge special factor.
The XJ40 also has one of the best interiors ever fitted to a mainstream production car. Better than the later Jags imo.
BeirutTaxi said:
Two different cars though? I can't see how an E39 is comparable at all.
The Jag is a classic and is very much a weekend car for enthusiasts. It's also the last handbuilt Jaguar and has a huge special factor.
The XJ40 also has one of the best interiors ever fitted to a mainstream production car. Better than the later Jags imo.
Agree, but as nice as the XJ40 interiors are, they aren't that well built compared to the X300 and especially the X308.The Jag is a classic and is very much a weekend car for enthusiasts. It's also the last handbuilt Jaguar and has a huge special factor.
The XJ40 also has one of the best interiors ever fitted to a mainstream production car. Better than the later Jags imo.
lets throw mine into the hat,
bought three years ago for considerably less than the £14k expected for this one. admit it has a higher mileage which is where it will struggle. Any miles put on the car would see it depreciate whereas i use mine on a regular basis and enjoy it to its full. they really are a quick, comfortable steer and handle superbly for a barge. The mods by TWR were originally made to appeal to a younger generation of Jag drivers as the "standard" XJ40 was deemed a bit staid..
As for the steering wheel, i admit the Momo leather jobby is not the prettiest looking thing. Mine came with a wooden wheel that does complement the interior........until i sourced a Momo in the correct maggy leather!! looks crap but its how it should be
in the three years and 10,000 miles ive had the car i have replaced the headlining, cam sensor and two rear tyres, tyres were all my fault
i have had three MoT's in my ownership all without advisories. these really are an underrated car.....would i pay 14 grand for one.........probably not, this one went for around 10k if i recall http://www.avantgardecars.co.uk/cars/jaguar-xjr-4-... same spec as mine but 22,000 miles......theres a "new" jag there for the price of a second hand Astra!!! and as Mr Beirut Taxi once told me "youve got good wood in there"
Hi Matt
D
pSyCoSiS said:
Agree, but as nice as the XJ40 interiors are, they aren't that well built compared to the X300 and especially the X308.
Not sure ive seen inlaid veneers, wilton carpets and Connelly hide in 300's or 308's not even the XJR's..........the XJ40 XJR's came with the Sovereign interior as standard, uprated Bilstein dampers, modded inlet manifold, upping power by an "impressive" 9bhp...or there abouts re-valved steering rack to increase the responsiveness and the very eighties Speedlines and bodykit........whats not to like?d
Your black XJR is a lovely car - and the one in the link is superb.
The construction techniques and materials used in the XJ40 are MUCH more old fashioned than those used in the X300. The X300 is very similar in design (to the late XJ40, anyway) - but the way they are made is from a different era to the XJ40.
The XJ40 was substantially hand built. This makes them much more charming than the X300. The fine veneers - matched, inlaid and polished by hand; the old fashioned leather Jaguar used together with such things as the use of proper old fashioned carpets (like you may find in your house) fitted in an array of tiny leather edged pieces through the compartment of the car do create a feeling that the XJ40 is different to other cars. Almost every other car by the 1990s used a one-piece floor moulding with velour printed on top of it, rather than an array of separate small carpets. A one piece moulding (such as used in the X300) makes the car feel very much more mass produced.
The down side of this is that fitting by hand doesn't achieve the best accuracy. This is apparent all through the XJ40. It is the font from which much of the car's charm flows, but the fit and finish of the X300 is way better.
It is apparent on the exterior panel work too. The X300 was made on a modern production line installed by Ford. Shut lines are narrow, consistent, sharp and accurate. The panels are all pressed with incredible accuracy. The XJ40 was built on a very old, rather cobbled together production line which had been starved of the necessary investment for many years. Some of it was positively archaic - and obtained second hand. It is why there was so much hand building on the XJ40 - and why the panel gaps are wide and inconsistent in comparison with the X300. Indeed, the only way to make XJ40 doors fit on an X300 is to replace all of them. The XJ40 door pressings are too inaccurate to sit with micro-perfect X300 doors. They need their 'wiggle room'.
The X300 doesn't have everything its way of course. Though it is manufactured with much greater accuracy, the quality of components is lower. The XJ40's veneers don't fit as well, but they are much nicer things to hold in your hand. They patinate; they live in a way the veneer-on-substrate X300 pieces never do. Of course one man's patina - is another man's fading! The door frames are another example. On the XJ40 they are polished pieces of shaped stainless steel. On the X300 the stainless layer is glued on.
I'm a big fan of both the XJ40 and the X300. They're surprisingly different, given they're virtually the same car! Much as I like the X300, I will always prefer the XJ40 - for some of the reasons above. Of course, many will prefer the X300 - and for many of the same reasons.
Edited to add:
Here's my XJ40. It is only the Sovereign, so I was in two minds as to whether to include it, but hey, here it is anyway!!
And its struggles with rust and rehabilitation:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
.
The construction techniques and materials used in the XJ40 are MUCH more old fashioned than those used in the X300. The X300 is very similar in design (to the late XJ40, anyway) - but the way they are made is from a different era to the XJ40.
The XJ40 was substantially hand built. This makes them much more charming than the X300. The fine veneers - matched, inlaid and polished by hand; the old fashioned leather Jaguar used together with such things as the use of proper old fashioned carpets (like you may find in your house) fitted in an array of tiny leather edged pieces through the compartment of the car do create a feeling that the XJ40 is different to other cars. Almost every other car by the 1990s used a one-piece floor moulding with velour printed on top of it, rather than an array of separate small carpets. A one piece moulding (such as used in the X300) makes the car feel very much more mass produced.
The down side of this is that fitting by hand doesn't achieve the best accuracy. This is apparent all through the XJ40. It is the font from which much of the car's charm flows, but the fit and finish of the X300 is way better.
It is apparent on the exterior panel work too. The X300 was made on a modern production line installed by Ford. Shut lines are narrow, consistent, sharp and accurate. The panels are all pressed with incredible accuracy. The XJ40 was built on a very old, rather cobbled together production line which had been starved of the necessary investment for many years. Some of it was positively archaic - and obtained second hand. It is why there was so much hand building on the XJ40 - and why the panel gaps are wide and inconsistent in comparison with the X300. Indeed, the only way to make XJ40 doors fit on an X300 is to replace all of them. The XJ40 door pressings are too inaccurate to sit with micro-perfect X300 doors. They need their 'wiggle room'.
The X300 doesn't have everything its way of course. Though it is manufactured with much greater accuracy, the quality of components is lower. The XJ40's veneers don't fit as well, but they are much nicer things to hold in your hand. They patinate; they live in a way the veneer-on-substrate X300 pieces never do. Of course one man's patina - is another man's fading! The door frames are another example. On the XJ40 they are polished pieces of shaped stainless steel. On the X300 the stainless layer is glued on.
I'm a big fan of both the XJ40 and the X300. They're surprisingly different, given they're virtually the same car! Much as I like the X300, I will always prefer the XJ40 - for some of the reasons above. Of course, many will prefer the X300 - and for many of the same reasons.
Edited to add:
Here's my XJ40. It is only the Sovereign, so I was in two minds as to whether to include it, but hey, here it is anyway!!
And its struggles with rust and rehabilitation:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
.
Edited by dbdb on Friday 5th February 00:24
HaylingJag said:
pSyCoSiS said:
Agree, but as nice as the XJ40 interiors are, they aren't that well built compared to the X300 and especially the X308.
Not sure ive seen inlaid veneers, wilton carpets and Connelly hide in 300's or 308's not even the XJR's..........the XJ40 XJR's came with the Sovereign interior as standard, uprated Bilstein dampers, modded inlet manifold, upping power by an "impressive" 9bhp...or there abouts re-valved steering rack to increase the responsiveness and the very eighties Speedlines and bodykit........whats not to like?d
But I totally agree, the interiors are sumptuous, especially with the piped leather.
Your XJR looks rather splendid and in excellent order.
I like this a lot. Trouble is it now has minor investment potential being original low mileage and seemingly in near perfect condition. So don't worry about the Miami Vice steering wheel as you won't be holding it much as this'll be locked in your garage most of the time until you sell it on for £20k in a few years.
dbdb said:
Your black XJR is a lovely car - and the one in the link is superb.
The construction techniques and materials used in the XJ40 are MUCH more old fashioned than those used in the X300. The X300 is very similar in design (to the late XJ40, anyway) - but the way they are made is from a different era to the XJ40.
Very lovely writing, dbdbThe construction techniques and materials used in the XJ40 are MUCH more old fashioned than those used in the X300. The X300 is very similar in design (to the late XJ40, anyway) - but the way they are made is from a different era to the XJ40.
HaylingJag said:
lets throw mine into the hat,
bought three years ago for considerably less than the £14k expected for this one. admit it has a higher mileage which is where it will struggle. Any miles put on the car would see it depreciate whereas i use mine on a regular basis and enjoy it to its full. they really are a quick, comfortable steer and handle superbly for a barge. The mods by TWR were originally made to appeal to a younger generation of Jag drivers as the "standard" XJ40 was deemed a bit staid..
As for the steering wheel, i admit the Momo leather jobby is not the prettiest looking thing. Mine came with a wooden wheel that does complement the interior........until i sourced a Momo in the correct maggy leather!! looks crap but its how it should be
in the three years and 10,000 miles ive had the car i have replaced the headlining, cam sensor and two rear tyres, tyres were all my fault
i have had three MoT's in my ownership all without advisories. these really are an underrated car.....would i pay 14 grand for one.........probably not, this one went for around 10k if i recall http://www.avantgardecars.co.uk/cars/jaguar-xjr-4-... same spec as mine but 22,000 miles......theres a "new" jag there for the price of a second hand Astra!!! and as Mr Beirut Taxi once told me "youve got good wood in there"
Hi MattD
Matt Bird said:
groomi said:
Lovely car and in great condition. The thing is with the XJR, it wasn't really significantly faster than a standard XJ and the interior is ruined by that hideous steering wheel.
Now, if you can find a Chasseur Stealth Bi-Turbo in that condition...
That's incredible! Never knew such a thing existed. The hunt begins...Now, if you can find a Chasseur Stealth Bi-Turbo in that condition...
FELIX_5 said:
Matt Bird said:
groomi said:
Lovely car and in great condition. The thing is with the XJR, it wasn't really significantly faster than a standard XJ and the interior is ruined by that hideous steering wheel.
Now, if you can find a Chasseur Stealth Bi-Turbo in that condition...
That's incredible! Never knew such a thing existed. The hunt begins...Now, if you can find a Chasseur Stealth Bi-Turbo in that condition...
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