This year marks 20 years since the XJ40 finally became the car it could have been from day one
ORD MOTOR Company’s European model launches for 1994 were a decidedly mixed bag: on the one hand, we had a thoroughly sensible joint venture with VW Group to build people carriers in Portugal which would ultimately prove very lucrative, while on the other hand we had the seemingly lunatic decision to allow the curiously styled Ford Scorpio into production. Sitting somewhere between the two and slipping somewhat under the radar was the restrained elegance of Jaguar’s fifth generation XJ saloon: what we know as the X300.
Launched in September 1994 and displayed at the Paris Motor Show the following month, the Jaguar was as neat as the Scorpio was comical and although it was touted as an all-new model it was effectively a top-and-tailed version of its predecessor, the XJ40.
Indeed, it’s the history of the XJ40 which informs the significance of the X300 generation, since it was that car’s drawn-out gestation which meant that it was ripe for replacement even as it was launched in 1986. By the time Jaguar had become part of the FoMoCo empire in 1989, the XJ40 was outclassed by the German rivals, with newcomer Lexus coming up quickly on the outside.
Work had in fact begun on an allnew replacement as early as the late ’80s under codename XJ90, but when Ford management baulked at the projected $500m cost of the project the idea was put on the back burner as the investment was diverted into the antiquated production facilities.
Instead, the XJ40 received a major makeover which it was claimed at the time was to accommodate the V12 engine, but with hindsight was clearly Ford’s longerterm strategy to update the platform to allow it to continue as long as possible.
Costing some £35m, the update involved the modification of 140 individual panels, while a reduction in the number of separate pressings made a big difference to the overall quality and refinement of the car. Particularly obvious was a new one-piece pressing of rear wing and C-pillar which removed the awkward join at the base of the pillar, while welded rather than bolted door frames meant better sealing. With an eye to the unnerving accuracy of Lexus, panel gaps were reduced by five per cent, while semi-flush side glazing improved wind noise and bonded front and rear glass further improved torsional rigidity.
The revised XJ40 would be launched in 1993 but would be a short-lived offering, since its replacement would be announced the following year.
