MODEL HISTORY
The Daimler and the XJ-S seem like two diametrically opposed facets of Jaguar’s 1980s range. However, plans were afoot to merge the two concepts…
For fans of the E-type, the Jaguar XJ-S was seen as a soft sop to the grand touring market, a car that owed much to the saloon range and lacked the real sportiness that had traditionally come with the Jaguar brand. But the car attracted its own fans instead – first as the pre-HE in manual and automatic form, with a dearth of chrome and a black dashboard where walnut might have been expected, and subsequently in relatively efficient HE form, with larger Series III style bumpers and timber trimmings. A model that had been met at first with mixed responses was now riding high, and the early 1980s were the XJ-S’s halcyon era.
The range became considerably broader in 1983 with the introduction of a pair of new models. The 3.6-litre car debuted a new engine range – much as had the XK120 and the E-type Series 3 – in a sporting model. This meant that the saloons upon which the company based its profits wouldn’t be affected by teething troubles, but it also lent a new dimension to the XJ-S family. After all, six cylinders and a manual gearbox made the car a much more sporting proposition – one which really did feel different to the saloon models. And Jaguar would build upon this even further with the introduction, at the same time, of a targa style cabriolet. The XJ-SC was only available at launch as a 3.6 – which meant manual transmission would be mandatory until the launch of the 1985 XJ-SC V12, and the 1987 3.6 automatic. An open manual cruiser meant that the XJ-S could attract yet another new market, pulling back some of those who had defected to the Mercedes-Benz SL in the wake of E-type Series 3 production. The next obvious stage was a full convertible, which Jaguar was developing and had planned to launch in V12 form for 1988.
All this activity and interest around the XJ-S got Jaguar thinking. Director of Engineering, Jim Randle, had been looking at the feasibility of providing a removable hard top for the new Convertible model, and under Geoff Lawson the Styling Studio was looking into this with an XJ-SC as a basis for the prep work. Ultimately, the idea was decided not to be feasible, and the XJ-S Convertible would launch with just its mohair hood as an option for protecting its occupants against the weather.
But Jaguar had expanded the XJ-S range downwards with considerable success, reasoned Jim Randle. Would the idea work in reverse – was it possible to develop a more exclusive XJ-S based model? A car, say, to be badged as a Daimler? Geoff Lawson and Fergus Pollock would refine this idea during 1985 and 1986, still using the XJ-SC as a basis. There was of course a secondary motive – Jim Randle had never liked the buttresses, and the concept o
