9781422279571

I N T R O D U C T I O N

On the car front, a new XJ6 was introduced in late 1968, which was voted Great Britain’s Car of the Year for 1969. Three years later a V–12 engine became available; in 1972 this XJ12 was similarly honored. A controversial coupe utilizing this engine, the XJS, bowed in 1975, a design unlike anything Jaguar, or any other manufacturer, had ever produced. Despite mixed reviews, it remained in production into the 1990s. Jaguar ceased to be a separate company in October 1972. The following 10 years saw company morale, and more importantly, build–quality, erode to desperate levels. The company started to revive early in the 1980s under the direction of John Egan, who negotiated the purchase of Jaguar’s facilities to make the company fully independent and private by 1984. The company’s board was confident enough to launch a new engineering, research, and devel- opment facility at Whitley. The 1987 model year saw the launch of a new XJ saloon series that helped start rebuild Jaguar’s shattered reputation for build–quality. By the early 1990s, Jaguar, with its niche market of fast, luxurious cars, represented a tasty takeover target for a larger company, and rumors swirled involving possible interest by BMW and General Motors. But it proved to be the Ford Motor Company that took over in January 1991, and the company since then has prospered with the introduction of incremental models, a major investment in new assembly capacity, and dramatic increases in performance, refinement, and build–quality. Armed with resources equal to its distinctive legacy, Jaguar’s big cats from Coventry appear poised for future prosperity.

The XJ200 boasted 500 hp and for a while was considered the fastest car on earth.

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