Jaguar XJ40: the last Jaguar developed before Ford

The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a full-size luxury saloon built between 1986 and 1994. Unveiled on 8 October 1986 as an all-new second generation of the XJ, it replaced the Series III, though the two ranges were sold side by side until the Series III ended in 1992. The XJ40 kept Jaguar’s independent rear suspension and added technology such as an electronic instrument cluster.

Jaguar XJ40 at a glance

History of the Jaguar XJ40

A long development

Jaguar worked on project XJ40 throughout the 1970s, with scale models built as early as 1972. The 1973 oil crisis and problems at British Leyland kept delaying it, and proposals came from both in-house designers and Pininfarina before an internal design was chosen. In February 1981 the British Leyland board approved £80 million, with launch planned for 1984. After Jaguar was demerged and privatised, chief executive John Egan used the strong sales of the Series III, especially in North America, to delay the launch two more years for development. The XJ40 became the most extensively tested car Jaguar had built, with 25% fewer body panels than before: a Series 3 door needed three pressings where an XJ40 door needed one, saving weight and stiffening the structure. Early cars still suffered electrical and build-quality problems, which hurt the model’s reputation, and the long development made it date quickly against the BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS400 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Mechanicals

At first the range used two versions of the AJ6 straight-six, 2.9 and 3.6 litres. The 3.6 was replaced by a 4.0 in 1990 and the 2.9 by a 3.2 in 1991. British Leyland had considered fitting the Rover V8, and the bodyshell was allegedly engineered to prevent V-configuration engines being installed, which delayed the V12 XJ12 until 1993 after the front structure was redesigned; the Series III XJ12 stayed in production until 1992 to cover that market. Automatic cars used the four-speed ZF 4HP22, the 4.0-litre the ZF 4HP24 and the V12 the GM 4L80-E, while early manuals were Getrag 265 and later cars Getrag 290. The redesigned selector, which allowed manual selection of forward gears without slipping into neutral or reverse, was called the J-Gate and remained a Jaguar feature until the 2008 XF.

Design and features

• All-new body: angular where the Series III was curvaceous, with composite headlamps on higher trims.
• Electronic instruments: a digital cluster unusual for a 1986 luxury saloon.
• J-Gate selector: a Jaguar signature for more than twenty years.
• AJ6 engines: 2.9 and 3.6 litres at launch, 3.2 and 4.0 later, V12 from 1993.
• Last independent Jaguar: developed before the Ford takeover.

Jaguar XJ40 versions

• XJ6 2.9 and 3.6 (1986): the original AJ6-engined cars.
• XJ6 3.2 and 4.0 (1990–1991): larger engines replacing the first pair.
• XJ12 (1993): the V12 model, after the front structure was redesigned.
• Sovereign and Daimler: higher trim levels with composite headlamps.

The XJ40 replaced the six-cylinder Jaguar XJ6 and was followed by the Jaguar XJ8. More cars are in the Jaguar collection.

Sources

• Jaguar XJ (XJ40), English Wikipedia: development, engines, gearboxes