The XJ-S Legacy and place in Jaguar History
After 21 years and sales of 115,556 units, Jaguar finally ceased the production of this somewhat controversial model. Many sceptics gave the XJ-S a hard time and didn’t really expect it to last, but model did Jaguar proud. Performance and efficiency improved as the car evolved and was most certainly a successful model for the company. Its unique silhouette is one of Jaguar's most iconic and now enjoys a cult following.
The XJ-S saw off the critics, the model returned the investment for the company and was praised for its performance, handling, ride and refinement. The model started slowly in terms of sales with poor quality and it was originally criticised for its heavy fuel consumption and looks but Jaguar stood its ground and it paid off. New models were added and it turned into the archetypal British Grand Tourer.
XK8
An XJS modified floorpan was used from the beginning of Jaguar's XK8/R (X100) because it was cheaper than a new design which was used until the end of production in 2005 and the introduction of the new aluminium X150.
Aston Martin
The DB7 was designed by Ian Callum, a renowned designer who later moved to Jaguar to continue creating beautiful motor cars. The DB7 was a sporty, contemporary car that could originally be bought for just £40,000. As they were part of the Ford organisation at the time, Aston Martin made use of the expertise and available parts from Jaguar. The DB7 had a large proportion of XJS components which included:
The Centre floor pan which was built at Castle Bromwich
The Front and rear suspension with unique DB7 set-up
Electrical harness - although most had to be modified to suit Aston Martins requirements
Electrical systems - wipers/cruise control/central locking/windows
Air conditioning system
Base engine (AJ16), this was also heavily modified by TWR
The DB7 had the Jaguar AJ16 6-cylinder engine, it could produce an impressive 315bhp that was capable of reaching 60mph and 0-60mph (0-97km/h) time of just 6 seconds.
The DB7 Vantage as well as the Volante continued to use the XJ-S floorpan and suspension systems. Both components were drastically modified to suit Aston Martin’s particular needs. The final DB7 was built in December 2003, and this saw the end of the use of the XJ-S parts.