When it came to replacing the Mk 2 and Mk X, Jaguar came up with the ingenious plan of doing it with a single model, and a range of engines. The result was the XJ6, and a little bit of automotive magic was created in the process.
The long, but interesting story of the XJ6/12 Series 1, 2 and 3 is charted by Ian Nicholls...
Quantum leap
F one were to draw up a list of
the greatest British cars of all time, by just about any criteria the Jaguar
XJ6/12 would be included. During a production run that spanned more than two
decades, it was frequently acclaimed as the greatest car in the world. And yet,
there was nothing particuarly innovative about the XJ. However, so good was
the overall package that it set new standards for the luxury car market for
many years after its launch in 1968.
The origins of the XJ6/12 date back to the early 1960s, when Jaguar was producing no less than five different basic models. At the time, it was building around 25,000 cars per year and was winning many admirers across the globe.
In 1965, for example, Jaguar produced the following models.
E-type: introduced in 1961, 4.2-litre XK engine
Mk 2: introduced in 1959, 2.4-, 3.4- and 3.8-litre XK engines
S-type: introduced in 1963, 3.4- and 3.8-litre XK engines
Mk X: introduced in 1961, 4.2-litre XK engine
Daimler V8 250: introduced in 1962, 2.5-litre Daimler V8 engine
Total production 24,601
By this time, sales of the Mk 2 were in decline, and the 2.4-litre version was being shown the way by the compact new 2-litre saloons from Rover and Triumph; while the new S-type was merely an evoloution of the older car, but with (effective) independent rear suspension and new frontal styling. The Mk X was a bulbous looking range-topper, at one stage the widest car ever sold in Britain. The Daimler V8 250 was little more than a Mk 2 powered by the excellent Edward Turner-designed V8 engine Jaguar had inherited when it took over Daimler in 1960.
Quite simply, Jaguar's model range was far too complex, and if it was to survive in the long term, a policy of rationalisation and cost-cutting was the only way forward. A plan was devised to develop a new car to replace this mid-range morass in one fell swoop, and quickly crystallised to become Project XJ4.
XJ4 takes shape
Principal XJ6 players: Such was Jaguar's pride in the later XJ12, the company
released a brochure
trumpeting the new power plant - and here were the people that made it (and
the XJ6) possible...
Development of the XJ4 began in 1963/64. Jaguar soon settled on a 9ft 0.75in wheelbase, and wheeltracks of 4ft 10in. This was a slightly longer wheelbase than the Mk 2, but the track was far wider, weighing in at the same size as the Mk X - upward expansion was the name of the game here. The engine bay was going to be more capacious than the Mk 2, too; the idea being to futureproof the XJ4 for the new and exciting engines Jaguar had in development.
The engines destined for the XJ4 were variants of the XK DOHC unit first seen in 1948. The range topper was the twin carburettor 4235cc, which Jaguar claimed produced 173bhp at 4750rpm. Surprisingly, the triple carburettor version seen in the E-type and Mk X was not offered, perhaps because something better was on its way. The other XK was a newly-developed 2792cc variant, which Jaguar thought would sell well in some European markets as a tax break car. Jaguar claimed 140bhp (DIN) for this unit.
On both versions, Jaguar went to great efforts to improve cooling, as overheating was a common complaint about the firm's cars. Various proposals as to what engines the XJ4 should use had been floated around Browns Lane. At one stage, it was suggested that a 3-litre version of the XK be offered alongside a 5.3-litre V12. A 2997cc XK was built and tested, and although there was plenty of top end power, it lacked low speed torque.
It appears Jaguar's long term plans for the XJ4 involved replacing the XK engine with a modular 60-degree V8 and V12 produced on the same tooling. It was a concept that the company had been evaluating since the 1950s, and serious development seems to have started with the aborted XJ13 Le Mans racing car. In August 1964, a quad cam V12 was first run on a test bed, but delays meant a road version was not available for the XJ4's launch. Confusingly, the V12 project, and the attempt to make a V8 version out of it, was codenamed XJ6.
No evidence has ever come to light that Jaguar ever considered using the ex-Daimler 2.5 and 4.5-litre V8s designed by Edward Turner, even though the larger engine had embarrassed its XK when fitted to Mk X testbeds. There was also no place in the XJ4 line up for the 2.4-litre XK fitted to the Mk 2. Jaguar would end up gifting this sector to Rover and Triumph, who had larger engined versions of their best selling 2-litre executive saloons in the pipeline.
The XJ4 would be offered with either a Borg Warner automatic or the company's own four-speed manual, which had first appeared in 1964. The manual was also available with overdrive, something the iconic E-type did not have.
Styling was overseen by Jaguar's founder and chairman Sir William Lyons, who evolved the quad headlamp nose from the the earlier Mk X and 420 (nee S-type). For the rear of the car, Lyons tried an E-type treatment, and then modified it by 'chopping' part of it away, to devise the now-familiar XJ saloon's drooping boot line. According to senior Jaguar engineer Bob Knight, the styling of the XJ4 had been finalised around 1964/65, but it took a further three years to sort out the running gear and tooling in order to get the car on sale.
The car also had flared wheelarches, under which lurked Dunlop ER70 VR15 tyres on 6-inch wide rims. Dunlop developed these high performance tyres especially for the XJ4. Jaguar's engineers went all out to reduce vibration, engine, and road noise, to create the most refined car possible. Topping off this enviable specification list, there were disc brakes all round, with triple pot Girling callipers at the front.
Launched into a storm
The XJ6 design team with William Heynes and William Lyons nearest the car...
By now, the pressing need for rationalisation was brought home by Jaguar's 1966 financial results. A profit of £1.66m might have been its best to date, but it was simply inadequate to fund all the projects Jaguar had in development. In July 1966, Jaguar merged with BMC and Pressed Steel to create British Motor Holdings (BMH). This move was astute because it also secured Jaguar's body supply from Pressed Steel.
In addition to this, Lyons now had the financial backing to get
the XJ4 into production. Although Lyons later regretted Jaguar's merger with
BMC - who as it turned out, was weaker than he thought - in the short term he
got him what he wanted. The new saloon, which he later called the XJ6, was brought
to fruition thanks to having BMC's financial resources on hand.
Unveiled to the public on September 26th 1968, the XJ6 ended up costing Jaguar
over £6m to develop. Prices ranged from £1797 for the manual 2.8
to £2398 for the 4.2-litre de Luxe Automatic. As the XJ6 was the first
all new Jaguar since 1961, it aroused great interest, and although no cars were
made available to the press for road testing until 1969, a waiting list soon
built up.
It was Autocar that managed to publish the first driving impressions of the XJ6 in September 1968. The car's superior ride and handling and the uncanny lack of noise was a theme echoed by rival publications, but in pre-launch briefings Jaguar was already tantilising journalists with the news that it was developing V8 and V12 engines as part of its future engine plans. "Vee engines will be offered as options on the XJ model within the next two years," the magazine enthused.
The launch of the XJ6 took place at the British Motor Show, where it shared the limelight with the Ford Escort, Vauxhall FD Victor, Sunbeam Rapier fastback, MGC, the Austin 3-litre and the Triumph 2.5 PI. Three of these cars were now Jaguar's stablemates within BLMC, and clearly demonstrated just how much of a stranglehold the new Corporation had on the British automotive scene.
However, the Rover P5B was the new Jaguar's only real British-built rival. Retailing at £2174, it was a traditional luxury saloon that had been transformed by the installation of the ex-Buick all-alloy V8 in 1967. The Rover was the favoured transport of government ministers and royalty, even if it didn't have Jaguar's more sporting image. Continental competition came from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-Benz 280SE boasted a fuel injected 160bhp 2746cc engine, but sold for £3324, while the BMW 2800, which would make its debut in 1969, was also a rather expensive option, at £3245. In comparison with these rivals, the Jaguar XJ6 was an absolute bargain.
As the waiting list built up and the press clamoured for the opportunity to conduct full XJ6 road tests, Jaguar got down to the task of rationalising its range. By axing its existing models, the company freed up Browns Lane to satisfy demand for the new car. First to go was the Jaguar 420 in August 1968; that was quickly followed by the Mk 2 240 in April 1969; the Daimler Sovereign in July 1969; and the V8 250 in August 1969. In October 1969, Jaguar announced the Daimler Sovereign, basically a badge-engineered Jaguar XJ6. This was a snapshot of Daimler's future now as the company's Radford factory now supplied Jaguar with engines - leaving the highly regarded V8 consigned to automotive history.
Only the Mk X/420G survived the cull - for the time being. By October 1969, the range topper was listed at £2671, compared to £2475 for the XJ6 4.2. It was sold as a luxury car powered by the more powerful 265bhp XK engine, but demand wasn't strong and Browns Lane probably built no more than around 30 cars per week. The demand for the XJ6 was such, that big car was phased out in June 1970, leaving the XJ as the sole saloon representative in the range.
In addition to this, Jaguar decided that the E-type replacement, the XJ27/28, would be based on an XJ4 platform as a way of reducing costs, this in time emerging as the XJ-S.
What the papers said
In the early summer 1969 the press began to get hold of XJ6 saloons to test and the plaudits were overwhelming.
Motor: "Jaguar sets impressive new standards; combination
of performance, comfort, roadholding and quietness unrivalled at price with
very few faults."
Modern Motor (Australia): "Best British car of the decade - difficult
to match standards".
Autocar: "Unbelievable value. The best there is... If Jaguar were
to double the price of the XJ6 and bill it as the best car in the world, we
would be right behind them... As it stands at the moment, dynamically, it has
no equal regardless of price, which explains those twelve month delivery quotes
from dealers... We set it as a new yardstick, a tremendous advance guaranteed
to put it ahead for several years at least".
The hyper-critical CAR magazine voted the XJ6 as its Car of The Year in 1969. LJK Setright wrote when nominating the car, "Indeed to my mind the Jaguar is not merely remarkable for what it is, but also because it makes redundant all cars that cost more. I can think of no car of which this can be as truthfully said, and I would consider this fact alone as qualifying the XJ6 for your award."
In 1969 the Jaguar XJ6 was the best car in the world.
| Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 performance figures | ||||
| 2.8 Auto | 2.8 4-speed | 4.2 Auto | 4.2 4-speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 113mph | 117mph | 120mph | 124mph |
| 0-60mph | 12.6secs | 11.0secs | 10.1secs | 8.8secs |
| Overall mpg | 15-20mpg | N/A | 15mpg | 15mpg |
Frustration over the long wait for deliveries even resulted in a protest by Swiss customers outside BLMC's Berkeley Square, London headquarters. Jaguar worked flat out to meet demand, and in the summer of 1971 the 50,000th XJ6/Sovereign left Browns Lane. Jaguar was producing around 650 a week, of which 100 were exported to the USA.
1972 Was a year of transition. Back in 1969, engineering director William Heynes had retired to be succeeded by Walter Hassan. In March 1972, founder and chairman Sir William Lyons finally stepped down, and was replaced by 'Lofty' England. Walter Hassan, also retired, and in his place stepped Bob Knight.
Expansion of the theme
XJ12 raised the bar in terms of smoothness...
In July 1972, Jaguar announced a new variant of the XJ4 platform, the culmination of Walter Hassan's career, the Jaguar XJ12. This was followed in August by the badge engineered Daimler Double-Six. In those pre-oil crisis days, the 5343cc V12 met with instant acclaim; Jaguar had managed to create an even better car than the original XJ6...
Why did Jaguar opt for the V12? In layman's terms one of the causes of noise in a car's cabin is engine vibration. The smoother an engine could be made to run, the less noise and vibration would be transmitted into the passenger cabin. Jaguar had been successfully using the in-line six cylinder XK, and the logical next step in the search for yet more refinement was to go for a V12. The XJ12 and Double Six's smoothness became legendary. The V12 had been unveiled the previous year, under the bonnet of the E-type Series 3.
In the E-type, the new all aluminium V12 was fuelled by four Zenith-Stromberg carburettors to meet forthcoming US emission laws. This restricted power to a disappointing 272bhp (DIN) at 5850rpm. The XJ12/Double Six installation retained the XK exhaust system which further reduced power to 265bhp at 5850rpm. Jaguar had intended to use an AEI-Brico fuel injection system on the V12, but by February 1971 the company had been informed that this had been cancelled, and the decision was taken to proceed with a V12 fuelled by carburettors. Whereas the E-type V12 was available with manual transmission, the XJ12 was only marketed with an automatic gearbox; a Borg Warner three-speed.
The Jaguar XJ12 was sold for £3726 (the Daimler Double Six, £3849), which reflected the upmarket aspirations for the brand that Browns Lane had. Only one thing marred the launch of the V12 saloons, something that would happen quite often when a British Leyland car was launched, the workforce that was supposed to produce it went on strike - for ten long weeks. Only around 500 XJ12 and Double Sixes had been produced when the strike began, and they were soon selling for a £1000 premium, such was the demand. The dispute was over a call for increased piecework earnings, and was eventually settled when the workforce agreed to accept measured day work.
The ten-week dispute was the longest strike in the UK motor industry in the whole of 1972, and perhaps was a turning point in Jaguar's history as from this point, the company probably lost the co-operation of its workforce in the battle for quality. This was 1972, the year of a miner's strike and the TUC's fight with Edward Heath's Conservative government over the Industrial Relations Bill - times were turbulent. The strike was not a good start to new chairman, 'Lofty' England's, reign. Once the strike was settled, production resumed, and by October 1972, customers were recieving their XJ12s. But Jaguar's annual production for 1972 of 22,988 was well down on 1971's record of 32,859.
For the time being Jaguar was in a seller's market, but was the quality of the product any good? In a 2001 interview, former BLMC chairman Lord Stokes said, "Bill Lyons was a marvellous chap, but the quality of Jaguars was so awful it was unbelievable."
Certainly Autocar encountered many niggling problems with both the XJ6 and XJ12. Accurate road test figures for the XJ12 are more difficult to research. Autocar obtained a 0-60mph time of 7.4 seconds on the MIRA test track, but the fuel economy figures and maximum speed were arrived at by the use a different car on a long continental trip. The magazine claimed fuel consumption of 11.4mpg and a top speed of 146 mph; figures which many later authors repeated. On close examination, a 146mph top speed is similar to that achieved by the slightly more powerful, yet smaller and lighter Series 3 E-type, which had manual transmission.
For a more accurate reading there is MOTOR magazines issue of 7th April 1973 when they road tested a Daimler Double Six.
| Daimler Double Six Series 1 automatic | |
| Maximum speed | 135.7mph |
|---|---|
| 0-60mph | 7.4secs |
| Overall mpg | 11.5 |
Autocar wrote, "In terms of mechanical quietness, the XJ12 represents the nearest approach yet acheived to a car in which the only sensation of having a propulsive unit under the bonnet is that of speed and acceleration. It is not only the exceptionally low noise level, but the complete absence of any vibration or harshness as well, which makes the car so fantastically docile and effortless... Phenomenal performance... but deplorable fuel consumption. Superb quietness and refinement... A truly outstanding motor car... the XJ12 is, like so many Jaguars before it, a car of great superlatives. It is a marvellous achievment, deservedly the envy of the world."
The V12 design team had been led by Harry Mundy and Walter Hassan, and the latter said at the time, "Well, we wanted to produce an engine that was outstanding. We wanted to sell quite a lot in America, so therefore we felt it should be something rather better than the run-of-the mill V8 in common usage over there. The twelve cylinder was obviously a good choice. It has the technical excellence of extremely smooth running."
In fact, even as Walter Hassan was saying those words, Jaguar was still working on a V8 that would not finally be cancelled until November 10th 1971.
Power games
The final V12s were the culmination of a long period of power plant deliberation
at Jaguar...
Jaguar had first tested a quad-cam racing 4994cc V12 in August 1964. Using fuel injection, engineers managed to extract 502bhp at 7600 rpm out of the unit. The story of the V12 is complex, and trying to differentiate race and road engines is difficult. Early photographs show V12 blocks with XK cylinder heads fed by six SU carburettors.
Once the XJ13 race programme was axed, Jaguar's engine men were able to concentrate on the road going power unit with a top end target of 330bhp. There were two differents variants of the V12, twin- and quad-cam - William Heynes advocated the quad-cam, and from a sales point of view, it would have offered more top end power. However Hassan and Mundy argued that the twin-cam V12 offered more low speed torque and superior acceleration at higher engine speeds. The twin-cam V12 also had the advantage of being more compact.
By 1966, Mk X saloons, codenamed X10, fitted with both flavours of V12 were being tested. Eventually the superior torque of the Hassan/Mundy twin-cam V12 won over the Heynes quad cam unit. According to Jeff Daniels, this practical demonstration was at the end of the 1960s. William Heynes retired in 1969 and was replaced by Walter Hassan, so the latter would have had the final say anyway. Was the quad-cam V12 a lost opportunity? Certainly there would have been some customers willing to pay for more performance.
During the development of the V12, Walter Hassan and Harry Mundy were asked to produce a V8 version of the new engine, obviously to maximise Jaguar's investment. As well as American cars, the V8 configuration was popular with Mercedes-Benz. According to Jeff Daniels, "this engine consisted quite literally of the middle two-thirds of the V12, with two cylinders lopped off either end. The result, inevitably, was a V8 with the 'wrong' included angle between banks of 60 degrees rather than 90 degrees, but also an engine which could potentially be machined on a common line with the V12 and which, with a swept volume of 3563cc might replace the XK with a lighter, higher revving and altogether more modern power unit suitable for a new sportscar or a range of smaller saloons."
Or the XJ saloons?
A 21st century vapourware mock-up of how the V8 version of the Jaguar V12 might
have looked.
(Picture: Peter Melville)
By late 1965, Jaguar was testing 60 degree V8s. That year, a 3.3-litre V8 with Lucas fuel injection produced 235bhp at 6500rpm, (as much as the later 3980cc AJ6 engine of 1990). In 1967, a 3560cc unit with twin SU carburettors produced 204bhp at 5750rpm. However, producing acceptable torque figures was proving problematic. There's no data on whether the V8s were twin- or quad-cam units.
By February 1971, Harry Mundy had tested an XJ4 chassis fitted with a V8 and a double bulkhead which gave a, "noticeble improvement in noise suppression, but there is still some resonance confined to the floor panels, especially at 2700-3200rpm with wide open throttle. Above this speed there are no further critical periods and in the higher range he (Mundy) considers the unit to be noticeably smoother than either the 4.2 or the 2.8 (XK)."
By August 1971, the V8 had been fitted with twin balancer shafts, which were driven at twice the engine speed by toothed belts, and seemed on the verge of being developed into production reality. By that November, the V8 was axed; Jaguar had come to the conclusion that the engine had been developed to an 'acceptable' state, but was not an 'economical production proposition'.
Walter Hassan in his autobiography Climax in Coventry
stated, "The V8... was a disappointment to us all. Engineers know that
V8s should have 90 degrees between the banks, but we had hoped that the unpleasant
secondary vibrations involved in a 60-degree design could be suppressed by clever
engine mounting. But this proved not to be possible and, as with the four-cylinder
XK engines of the 1940s, there were unpleasant vibrations in the structure,
felt also through the gear lever, which we could not tame."
In the opinion of author and Graham Robson, Jaguar hoped to offer the XJ saloons
in 2997cc XK, 3562cc V8 and 5343 cc V12 variants. The axing of the V8 led, in
1972, to the slant-six project, a V12 cut in half lengthwise in another effort
to utilise V12 production tooling. This to came to nought, thwarted by lack
of swept volume required to produce acceptable torque levels. Then came modified
24-valve XK engines, and then in 1976, work started on the AJ6 engine. But the
AJ6 would never appear in the the production XJ4 chassis.
Walter Hassan was never an advocate of V8 engines, and possibly Harry Mundy was in agreement, as he opted for six cylinders for the AJ6. Harry Mundy died in 1988, and Walter Hassan passed away in 1996. That year Jaguar unveiled the XK8 sportscar powered by a new 4-litre quad-cam 90 degree V8 producing 290bhp. In 1997, an XJ8 saloon at last appeared. The new V8 was acclaimed for its V12-matching refinement...
For the rest of its life, the non-V12 XJs were stuck with the XK engine.
Series upgrades
Slimmer grille and raised front bumper were immediate Series 2 identifiers...
On September 13th 1973, Jaguar announced the XJ Series 2. The major visual change was that American regulations demanded that the front bumper needed to be raised so that is was 16-inches above the ground. That resulted in a shallower grille, and the under bumper air intakes were enlarged. The electrical system and the interior was also revised.
Jaguar also used the opportunity to preview the beautiful coupe version, even though it wouldn't enter production until 1975. The short wheelbase V12 was dropped, along with the unpopular 2.8 version - no one mourned that car's loss, not least those owners who had suffered from the piston problems that had plagued this engine. The XJ6 4.2 was also tweaked, and now produced 170bhp at 4500rpm.
Despite the raft of improvements the XJ received, Jaguar's reputation as a quality car manufacturer began to deteriorate rapidly. This can be attributed to low workforce morale, poor quality control within Browns Lane, as well as from outside suppliers. XJ Series 2 bodies suffered from being ill-prepared; the paint and chrome quality was abysmal; and the fit of body panels was bad even by BLMC's standards. Even the door locks caused grief, and electrical problems, as epitomised by 'Lucas, Prince of Darkness' jibes, were at their worst in the Series 2.
Also, in the autumn of 1973, BLMC boss Lord Stokes appointed 34 year old Geoffrey Robinson as Jaguar's Managing Director, fresh from running Innocenti in Italy. Robinson gave an illuminating interview to Graham Robson for his book, 'Jaguar XJ-S The Complete Story'. He said, "When I arrived, there were no plans to increase production, and I think it's fair to say that the thinking of Sir William, then Lofty, was to keep production fairly tight, and to keep it to the order book if they could. But when I arrived - this was before the energy crisis, of course - we had a 2 1/2 year order book, with Jaguars in terrific demand throughout the world, and we could sell more motor cars than we had been planning to build.
"There was another aspect, that the Jaguar factory was so tight - physically tight - in production facilities, that the quality of the product was suffering. The first thing we did, therefore, was to lengthen the tracks, to give more track space, to give more room and easier access around the cars. As part of the strategy, we also planned to bring in a new paint plant: the paint system was very antiquated.
"The levels we were looking at were to go up to a comfortable 50,000 or 60,000 cars a year, all of the XJ6 (and XJ12) and XJ-S. We could get this much out of Browns Lane, but it wasn't possible to have more than one basic model."
With a background in economics and with the fresh perspective of an outsider, Robinson realised with demand for the XJ at such a high level, Jaguar had a golden opportunity to really grow the brand. With a production level of over 50,000 cars a year, Jaguar could generate the profits to take on BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and then become a serious stand-alone producer of luxury cars. By the time of Robinson arrived, full scale styling bucks of the XJ40, the intended replacement for the XJ6, were being inspected by senior BLMC management figures. No one imagined there would be a third series of the existing car.
Jaguar Engineering Director, Bob Knight, who worked closely with Geoffrey Robinson, said in 1986, "Between 1969 and 1974, Jaguar had contributed £24m positive cash flow which in the money of those times was a lot. That was, in effect, bullion that was hauled over the gate at Browns Lane and poured down the bottomless pit at Longbridge. This money could have made all the difference to Jaguar because it could have been used to provide Jaguar with a new body assembly shop and paint shop, and would have allowed us to pay decent salaries to attract, and keep, engineers. Jaguar would have been transformed by 1974."
Fuel and labour crises throw a curved ball
In October 1973, the Arab-Israeli War resulted in steep oil price rises, ushering in an energy crisis. Within weeks demand for large engined cars slumped, and even though it took less than a year for the energy crisis to recede, fuel prices remained high. Jaguar was iincredibly vulnerable to this turn in world events - how could it not be when its entire range was comprised of gas guzzlers? Rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz offered more frugal sub 3-litre cars, and went from strength to strength as a result.
The XJ12 was particuarly hard hit thanks to its abysmal fuel consumption. Although Jaguar remained profitable, many customers cancelled their orders, and production slumped. It would be another decade before the firm produced as many cars as it had in 1971.
In January 1974, Lofty England, unable to work with Geoffrey Robinson left Jaguar; and the younger man replaced him as Chairman. The Heath government's war of attrition with the labour movement reached its climax with the three-day week of January-March 1974. In an effort to conserve coal stocks, electricity was available on a limited basis, and this acted as another brake on XJ production.
In September 1974, came another revision to the XJ range, when Jaguar dropped the short wheelbase saloon. Despite the energy crisis and the three-day week, 1974 had been very good for Jaguar, with 32,565 cars produced at Browns Lane, of which 28,856 were XJs. That December, the financial collapse of BLMC could no longer be staved off, and the Harold Wilson's Labour government hastily asked Sir Don Ryder to report on the state of BLMC.
With this in the foreground, Geoffrey Robinson continued to press ahead with his ambitious plans for Jaguar. An Italian firm called Interlack had won the tender to install a new paint plant at Browns Lane. The structural material arrived at the factory in late 1974, but the vacuum of power at Browns Lane in the aftermath of the Ryder Report prevented the paint shop's go-ahead. When Ryder did report in April 1975, he recommended that all of BLMC's marques should merged to form Leyland Cars.
And although Ryder recommended that the manufacturing technology in BL's factories was updated as a matter of urgency, the authorization for the new Browns Lane paint plant was still not forthcoming. In fact, the structural material for the paint plant remained at Browns Lane for several winters, unused and deteriorating. Geoffrey Robinson then found himself out of a job, as Jaguar lost its autonomy within BL.
Was Geoffrey Robinson a good Jaguar chairman? Some critics might say he put quantity before quality, but as we have seen, his hands were tied. Certainly he possessed business acumen, as his success in his post Jaguar career demonstrated. The new boss of BL was Managing Director Alex Park, and he placed Derek Whittaker in charge of Leyland Cars. Jaguar Engineering Director, Bob Knight, now emerged as the the marque's unofficial chairman and champion. The whole saga of the paint plant that never was is a good example of why senior Jaguar executives became disenchanted with both BL and the government.
Further XJ progress
Perhaps the most beautiful XJ of them all... the XJ-C.
With all this going on, development of the XJ Series 2 continued. In April 1975, the shortlived Jaguar XJ Coupe was introduced. Codenamed XJ35 for the XK, and XJ36 for the V12 version, the Coupe was based on the short wheelbase chassis. Featuring two longer doors and pillarless construction, the model was intended as a lighter more sporting derivative of the existing saloon. Available in both a Jaguar and Daimler form, there were issues - the sealing the side windows proved difficult in production, and this in turn affected refinement.
Another downside of the XJ Coupe was its premium pricing. The customer effectively paid more less car, and in these pragmatic times, it effectively sealed its fate. Jaguar already had the XJ-S waiting in the wings, and that limited the company's commitment to the XJ-C. Production ended in November 1977, after a mere 10,426 had been built.
In May 1975, Bosch-Lucas fuel injection was introduced on the XJ12, and that boosted power to 285bhp (DIN) at 3500rpm. The following month, a new entry-level 3.4-litre XJ was launched, finally completing the Series 2 range. Powered by an XK engine in its original 3442cc capacity, the block was actually based on that of the 4.2-litre engine. With 161bhp (DIN) available, it was much quicker than the original 2.8-litre car, powering on to a top speed of 117mph.
Rounding off the year, the XJ-S made an appearance - the Malcolm Sayer-styled grand tourer that replaced the E-type, was based upon XJ12 platform, and although it wasn't the new sportscar everyone yearned for, it was a successful move upmarket. That it was sold for a substantial premium over the outgoing E-type proved the validity of Jaguar's platform-sharing strategy. Eight years after Jaguar's rationalisation had begun with the launch of the XJ - the process was finally completed.
Now that the XJ series 2 line up was complete, how did the performance figures stack up ?
| Series 2 Daimler/XJ performance figures | |||
| XJ6 3.4 | XJ6 4.2 | XJ12 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 117mph 115mph (A) |
117.5mph | 148mph |
| 0-60mph | 10.9secs 11.9secs (A) |
10.6secs | 7.8secs |
| Overall mpg | 16-17mpg | 17mpg | 11.9mpg |
It appears that no-one road tested the XJ12 Series 2 saloon. Despite all the activity in 1975, production at Browns Lane slumped to 24,295. With the exception of the 1972 strike year, this was the lowest annual production since 1968, the year of the XJ's introduction. 1976 Was little better, and 1977 slumped further to 23,688.
Disregarding the quality of Jaguars produced at the time, Browns Lane did face one major public relations problem at the time - it was now inextricably linked with BL; an organisation that was synonomous with bad news. 1977 Was the year BL went into market share meltdown, never to recover. In November 1977, the government installed Michael Edwardes as the new Chairman - it was a move in the right direction.
Another factor in Jaguar's decline may have been the arrival of the Rover SD1. Jaguar had successfully neutered Rover since the formation of BL, forcing the company to axe the P8 and P6BS/P9, because Sir William Lyons felt they threatened existing Jaguar models. The long wheelbase XJ was introduced to counter the threat posed by the roomy P8, and Rover had since been forced to accept a role subordinate to Jaguar in the BL hierarchy, but with the arrival of the SD1 3500, the XJ suddenly looked dated.
The Rover SD1 was a bargain in comparison with the XJ6 3.4, and a waiting list soon built up. However BL's inability to build quality into the SD1 soon destroyed its desirability and demand slumped in 1979 - its fall from grace hastened by the oil price crisis following the Iran-Iraq War. But with progress on the XJ40 painfully slow and more modern-looking cars appearing on the marketplace, Jaguar's decision to refresh the XJ was one taken through necessity. Pininfarina was commissioned to titivate the XJ's styling - and the end result was the Series 3.
Sir Michael Edwardes, abolished Leyland Cars in early 1978 and Alex Park and Derek Whittaker soon departed. Bob Knight was appointed Jaguar Managing Director, as the company became part of the short-lived Jaguar-Rover-Triumph division, which was headed by William Pratt-Thompson. 1978 saw a minor recovery in annual Jaguar production to 27,346, of which 23,792 were XJs. It had been planned to launch the series 3 XJ saloons in late 1978, but this was delayed until March 1979.
The miraculous recovery
Series 3 models were tastefully brought into the 1980s - and that new roofline
was hailed a success.
Today, in the view of many, the XJ Series 3 was a case of saving the best 'til last. However, in reality it got off to such a bad start that it nearly sank Jaguar. Revising the XJ had cost £7m, and that included the Pininfarina restyle - and although it wasn't a lot of money, it was enough when there was none to go around. The Series 3 incorporated a raft of new body panels, and an increased glass area had left the interior feeling far airier. The roof line was raised by 3in at the rear to create more passenger headroom.
Although it's difficult to quantify why, the overall effect of the new roof was to turn the XJ into a sleeker-looking car. The major mechanical changes were restricted to the XK-engined cars - both the 3.4- and 4.2-litre versions gained the option of the LT77 five-speed manual gearbox, thus consigning Jaguar's own four-speeder to the parts bin of the history. In addition to this, the 4.2-litre XK received Bosch-Lucas L-Jetronic sealed fuel injection, and that boosted power to a far more realistic 205bhp at 5000rpm. The 3.4 was now the only Jaguar availible with carburettors.
In addition to this, JRT spent a further £15.5m on a new Pressed Steel-Fisher Body and Paint plant at Castle Bromwich. When the Series 3 was introduced in March 1979, it was widely publicised that the BIWs (Bodies-in-white) would now receive phosphate pre-paint treatment, electro priming, an adhesion promoter and four coats of thermo-plastic acrylic colour.
As usual the motoring press raved about the Series 3:
Autocar: "Pefecting the near perfect ? Well Browns Lane try to."
After 12,000 miles the magazine still commented:
"The Coventry-made marvel... in a car like this the faults hardly matter!"
Not all sweetness and light
XJ6 interior was a lot happier place to be than Jaguar's boardroom in 1980...
There were, in fact, several faults. Poor paintwork which chipped easily wasn't a great start. Quite clearly, many others did not share Autocar's high opinion of the Series 3 - as total Jaguar production slumped to 14,861 in 1979, the worst since 1957. The media was probably testing some of the better Series 3 cars.
What had gone wrong? The reality was, despite all the boasts about state of the art facilities at PSF Castle Bromwich, many of the new-fangled paint processes were not yet on stream, and would not be for a few years. The Castle Bromwich site had started life as a wartime shadow factory, producing Spitfires, but the early period of its relationship with Jaguar was not its finest hour.
Bob Knight recalled in 1986, "In the 12 months following the introduction of Series 3, we only got 40 per cent of the production we needed, due to Castle Bromwich problems. In the end we were so desperate, we would take anything that was roughly the right shape, even if it was different colours either end!" On Castle Bromwich Knight added, "Most importantly, there was no hospital facility for paint rectification and such work had to be carried out in the condemned paint shop at Browns Lane."
The rectification work at Browns Lane was led by Plant Director Mike Beasley, who later became Jaguar chairman. The dissatisfaction with PSF Castle Bromwich must have been bad, because in December 1979, Bob Knight tried to aquire (for an estimated £8m) the paint facilities at the now closed Triumph plant at Speke, Liverpool. This plan came to nothing, and as the build quality of Speke built TR7s was nothing special, perhaps this was a good thing. Then it was proposed that Castle Bromwich should be closed down. Jaguar's bodies would be manufactured in Swindon, transported to Cowley for painting and then on to Browns Lane.
Then in March 1980, the month powertrain director Harry Mundy retired, Bob Knight was informed that the Castle Bromwich body and paint plant was to come under the control of Jaguar. Knight had won through, but BL chairman Michael Edwardes had lost patience with Jaguar's Managing Director.
Edwardes later wrote: "In the case of Jaguar, we failed to solve its many problems at the first go; the product was not reliable, the paint finish was below par, and productivity was abysmal... even without the benefit of proper figures, it was obvious that Jaguar was losing a lot of money - losses were running at millions of pounds a year. The attitude problem was enormous; the men on the shop floor, and indeed many of the managers, still considered Jaguar to be elite, and their own contributions unique. Some managers were more concerned with producing new models and reaching new standards of engineering excellence than with managing the business."
The last remark may have been aimed at Bob Knight. In April 1980 Edwardes drafted in John Egan to run Jaguar as both chairman and managing director. Bob Knight had been effectively fired at the age of 61, but as he was able to negotiate his own retirement which became effective from July 1980, it could have been worse. Bob Knight was a brilliant engineer, who had made the XJ saloons so refined, but he lacked the business skills that Jaguar badly needed. Business skills were what John Egan possessed in bucket loads.
Bob Knight was the last of Browns Lane's old guard to go, and it marked the end of Jaguar's domination by engineers. As is well documented, John Egan launched a quality crusade that embraced both bought-in components and successfully persuaded the workforce to enthusiastically tackle the issues that continued to blight Jaguar. A good example: when fuel injected V12 had been introduced in May 1975, the electronic ignition module had been sited in the vee of the block - the hottest part of the engine. In the important American market, in the summer heat, XJs and XJ-Ss began cutting out without warning. It took Jaguar until October 1978 to rectify this - by re-siting the module elsewhere in the engine bay.
Perhaps this example explains Michael Edwardes disatisfaction with the way Jaguar had been run under Bob Knight, the Chief Engineer himself.
Efficiency drive
And it was the V12 that was the subject of the XJ's last major modification. In September 1981, Jaguar announced that the XJ12 and Double-Six would now be fitted with a high-compression Fireball cylinder head developed by Swiss engineer, Michael May. This superior flowing head improved both top end power (299bhp at 5000rpm), torque and fuel economy. With this revision the Series 3 line up was now complete.
| Jaguar XJ Series 3 performance | |||||
| 3.4 manual | 3.4 auto | 4.2 manual | 4.2 auto | 5.3 auto | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 113mph | 112mph | 128mph | 116mph | 142mph |
| 0-60mph | 11.7secs | 12.7secs | 10.5secs | 9.6secs | 8.1secs |
| Overall mpg | 18.4mpg | N/A | 15-17mpg | 15-16mpg | 15.6mpg |
Although the Thatcher years ushered in the era of consumerism at home, in the important American market, the philosophy that the customer was always right had been around for a long time. Jaguar had been suffering over there as a result of resting on its laurels. Customers wanted quality and reliability, and if they didn't get it, they'd go elsewhere.
The time when Jaguar had a 30-month waiting list was long gone, and the company was no longer led by engineers who could arrogantly dismiss their rivals as technically inferior. Fortunately, John Egan, the dealers, the suppliers, and the Jaguar workforce made sure the XJ Series 3 was up to the task, and sales grew year-on-year. In 1984, Jaguar was privatised, and although to some on the left of the political spectrum, it was a case of selling the family silver, the floatation was more complex than that.
Series 3 sales continued to grow until 1986, when the much-delayed XJ40 finally appeared. Manufacture of the Series 3 XJ6s continued until May 1987, mainly for those markets where the XJ40 had not been launched. The XJ12 and Double-Six continued for the time being, gradually being detuned as they lost the battle against emissions regulations. While this was going on, the company ran into trouble, as the XJ40 developed a reputation for electrical, steering and suspension problems.
Having clawed itself out of the mire, Jaguar's reputation for quality was fading away again, along with car sales and profits, and as the strength of sterling further hindered matters so badly that the once bright swan of the UK industry was rapidly turning into a lame duck. By the end of 1989, Jaguar was purchased lock, stock and barrel by Ford for a whopping £1.6bn. It was only after the deal was sealed that senior Dearborn management discovered just how antiquated Jaguar's manufacturing facilities in Browns Lane actually were.
Ford ordered a review of Jaguar's activities, and one of the casualties was the XJ81, the V12 version of the XJ40. Ford was allegedly concerned by quality issues and ordered a fresh start. This gave a stay of execution to the Series 3 XJ12 and Double-Six. Even as late as 1991, it was impressing the automotive presss - Autocar & Motor magazine, commenting, "there's still something about the Jaguar - its innate restraint, good taste and grace - that the others lack entirely. It's a beautiful car and for some, that will always be enough."
And now, for the end...
The end for the Series 3 finally came in 1992, after a production run of over 318,000. So was the XJ saloon a success? Yes and no. It was a critical and technical success designed by a small team of brilliant engineers who managed to build what many critics regarded as the best car in the world, regardless of cost. But could it have been more successful? The answer has to be yes. The quality of some of the pre-John Egan era cars left a lot to be desired; it was designed by engineers who also dominated Jaguar management, and they were perhaps reluctant to accept that the products of their genius could be fallible.
The XJ boosted Jaguar productivity from around 25,000 cars a year, to over 30,000 by 1970, but it was a figure Browns Lane could only top three times before the Egan era, suggesting that productivity was not what it should have been. The XJ should have been the car that made Jaguar a major player in the luxury car market, on a par with BMW and Mercedes-Benz - and not a company struggling to survive. And did Jaguar under-price the car when demand was at its zenith in the Series 1 days?
BMW and Mercedes-Benz did not seem to have any trouble shifting their cars, and the extra profit margin enabled them to re-invest in up-to-date production machinery, something Jaguar could not do. The Series 3 also cast a long shadow over the company - the XJ40 and subsequent X300 and X308 clearly took their styling cues from the 1968 car.
Even the current X350 apes the styling of the Series 3, because for many, it's the car that perhaps eptomised the best of British.
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Written with reference to:
Jaguar XJ40 - Andrew Whyte
Jaguar Project XJ40 - Philip Porter
Jaguar XJ Series - Graham Robson
Jaguar XJ - Nigel Thorley
Jaguar XJ-S - Graham Robson
Jaguar XJ - Chris Harvey
Jaguar, the engineering story - Jeff Daniels