Past & present
WHEN JAGUAR pulled the wraps off its new XJ6 at the 1994 British Motor Show, the newcomer received a rapturous response.
The replacement for the XJ40 was the first new Jaguar to be launched under Ford’s ownership and was rushed into production ahead of the company’s more ambitious projects, such as the XK8 and S-TYPE, in order to show the world that Ford had plans for the luxury brand.
As a result of its short gestation, the new X300 made use of a lot of XJ40 parts. The main bodyshell, glass, doors and dashboard were the same, but the new XJ was a lot more than just a facelift.
For starters, it wasn’t shy in looking backwards. While the XJ40 was all square-edged and Eighties in its appearance, the new X300 brought back some more traditional Jaguar styling cues, including quad headlamps, a fluted bonnet and delicate triangular rear lamps. It was not only unmistakably a Jaguar but also unmistakably an XJ, despite some modern technology under the bonnet in the form of the company’s new AJ16 engine.
It was a terrific car to look at and an even more rewarding one to drive, while at the same time achieving a happy medium
