Jaguar’s all new saloon for the late 1980s still carried the XJ insignia but heralded new technologies and increased sales.Jaguar
had for some time been working on a replacement for the long-term production
XJ6 and XJ12 Series models and the car (coded XJ40) was to be the most tested
and developed model the company had produced up to that time.
An
entirely new body style and design was created with 25% less panels than the
previous model. Typically for the period, of a more angular style, the car
still retained important Jaguar touches both externally and internally but all
was new. Powered by the 3.6 litre AJ6 engine (previously introduced in the
XJ-S), an addition was a new 2.9 litre 6-cylinder engine derived from half the
V12 unit. Available in a range of standard XJ6, Jaguar Sovereign or Daimler
models, the car was voted car of the year and sales blossomed.
In 1990
the 3.6 litre engine was supplanted by the 4.0 litre version and a year later
the 2.9 litre models were replaced by 3.2 litre versions of the AJ6 unit. By
1993 Jaguar had re-designed the XJ40 to accommodate the 6.0 litre V12 engine
and in 1994 a range of new additional models were aimed at a younger audience,
the XJ6 Sport and the XJ6 Gold. A few longer wheelbase Majestic models were
also produced.
The
XJ40 was a very important model for the company as it revitalised sales of the
saloon range and helped achieve the highest annual sales to date in 1989 with
over 50,000 units being sold. The XJ40 left production in 1994.
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