Tuesday 6th March 2018

Jaguar 'Greatest Hits' XJ: Geneva 2018

How to celebrate half a century of XJs? With the maiden voyage of a one-off project...

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We all know Jaguar likes to mark a special occasion fairly extravagantly, and with this year being the 50th anniversary of the XJ we have very high hopes. Kicking things off in inimitable fashion is this, the 'Greatest Hits' XJ, a collaboration between Jaguar Classic and Nicko McBrain.

Yes, that's Michael Henry 'Nicko' McBrain of Iron Maiden, a lifelong Jag man and a big XJ advocate. In the press bumf he describes it as his "favourite of all Jaguars"; having owned two previous to this one, he's pretty well qualified to proffer judgement.

Once upon a time, this was a 1984 XJ6 4.2; however, after 3,500 man hours and the reworking (or replacement) of more than 4,000 parts, it now represents McBrain's vision of a dream XJ. The bumpers front and rear are new, incorporated into new wings with bespoke chromework. The wire wheels are 18-inch diameter, nestled into new flared arches and wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tyres. The suspension is all new, the Mauve paint is new, the sills are new... a lot is new. Note as well the LED headlights, the XJ Series 2 door handles and the recessed twin fuel fillers; the latter will probably be quite handy with the 4.2 straight-six using three carbs from an E-Type...

The interior is a fascinating mix of the traditional and the modern, with up-do-date nav and 1100w sound system incorporated into a design mostly familiar from that era of XJ. The Pimento red leather and the level of fit and finish might not be so familiar, but you get the point. The wood is 'Dark Grey stained Sycamore', because that's the material McBrain uses on his snare drums, and the rotary controls on the dash are meant to look like the controls for a Marshall amp.

In addition, the XJ's usability has been further improved by the introduction of "uprated" (see: functioning) air-con, remote central locking, additional sound deadening, a retrimmed interior with new seat foam and even a reversing camera. Let's hope it gets some use, then...

"I'm so excited by its completion... it really is a Greatest Hits edition to me and it defines what the Jaguar XJ is all about" said McBrain, describing it as a "credit to the craftsmanship of the Jaguar Classic team." JLR Classic's director Tim Hannig added that the process had been "extraordinarily rewarding" and is said to be looking forward to hearing the reaction...

So, what do you make of it? A unique and interesting one-off take on a classic Jag? Or one more resto-mod project that should have been left on the drawing board? For what it's worth, Jaguar Classic, we'd love an XJ-C with the naughtiest V12 you can make - we'll talk about the commission when our numbers come up...

[M666 EVO]

Well there is wallpaper of the week right there.

Having owned an XJ6, an XJR and even an XJS V12, I would say I am a Jag man but even so, that is a thing of beauty. The interior is a bit tarts boudoir but the exterior is seriously cool.

[Macboy]

I like a lot of this but the wheels are....vulgar. Some nice alloys would sort out any exterior issue for me. I like this overall direction for SVO - why let the specialists have this business?

[unpc]

Yeah not a fan of the wheels, steering wheel or interior colour but otherwise perfect.

[Jim the Sunderer]

He spends £60,000 and they've put the steering wheel in the wrong place!

[Krikkit]

Slightly smaller wheels and a brown rather than red interior for me, but what a splendid idea!

[RDMcG]

Gorgeous. Agree on the wheels

[Podie]

Has a bit of a hot rod feel to it... wouldn't say no (but I'd change the wheels)

I'll take one in black.

Has more than a whiff of Retropower Jag about it... https://retropower.net/2018/02/05/jaguar-xjc430-ls...

Edited by Podie on Tuesday 6th March 11:33

[CS Garth]

Sheer magnificence - a triumph. Nice one Nicko

[Plug Life]

Jim the Sunderer said:

He spends £60,000 and they've put the steering wheel in the wrong place!

He lives in the Colonies.

[LotusOmega375D]

Jim the Sunderer said:

He spends £60,000 and they've put the steering wheel in the wrong place!

Where's the £60,000 from?

The text states 3500 man hours for labour only. Any idea what Jaguar Classic charges per hour? I think we're looking at mega money for this. It's not even a particularly desirable base model to start with.

[loose cannon]

I’d sell a kidney for that built to my spec
I love the series xj
I’d change the wheels and maybe the interior leather colour and fit the longer stowage door panels and change the front seats to xjs spec

[Hammerhead]

Looks very good, overall. I'm sure he's overjoyed with the result, so good for him

Personally, the only bits I don't like are the headlamps/Halos and the cross-spoke wheels.

[Tuvra]

I'll take mine in black, black leather, cream piping and stitching, thanks

[Davie 1]

Love the Maiden detailing on the steering wheel centre, especially Jaguar being written in the same style as the band logo. It all looks very Nicko, an ageing classic but slightly mental!

Edited by Davie 1 on Tuesday 6th March 12:00

[Turbobanana]

Possibly the worst thing I have ever seen - and I love the original XJ, which was introduced the year I was born.

Each to their own and all that, but a no from me.

[rare6499]

This is probably my favourite car of the show, I just love the details. The bespoke jaguar logo on the steering wheel, the flared arches...wheels aren’t to my taste but they built this exactly as he wanted so I respect that. The cost must have been near 250k I’m guessing...

[mp3manager]

Red interiors like that just remind me of an anal prolapse.

[Jhonno]

Stunning.. Love it all!

[FWDRacer]

Hammerhead said:

Looks very good, overall. I'm sure he's overjoyed with the result, so good for him

Personally, the only bits I don't like are the headlamps/Halos and the cross-spoke wheels.

I'm with you 100% - but that is what bespoking a car is all about, personal choice. It is great that these things are being made/recreated, especially by the OEM.

[Plate spinner]

Krikkit said:

Slightly smaller wheels and a brown rather than red interior for me, but what a splendid idea!

Now you’re talking!