Jaguar XJ

The Jaguar XJ is a saloon produced by Jaguar, launched in 1968. It was the last Jaguar saloon to have had the input of Sir William Lyons, the company's founder.

Series I

At the time, the XJ6, using 2.8L (2790cc/170in³) and 4.2L (4235cc/258in³) versions of Jaguar's renowned XK engine, replaced most of Jaguar's saloons, which, in the 1960s, had expanded to four separate ranges. The upmarket version was marketed under the Daimler brand and called the Daimler Sovereign. The 'XJ' designation was from the car's code name during development, standing for Experimental Jaguar.

The car was introduced in September, 1968, in a series of television advertisements featuring Sir William. In these spots, he memorably referred to the car as "the finest Jaguar ever." The XJ12 version, with a 5.3 L V12 engine, was launched in 1972, with just 3,235 built.

Series II

The XJ line was refreshed for 1973 with the "Series II" cars. A 3.4L (3442cc/210in³) version of the XK engine was new in 1975.