[Mai Nate] Jaguar

[j]

74:

 

 

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May 1974: Italian influence

Jaguar Managing director, Geoffrey Robinson, brought in the Italian styling houses, which resulted in the in-house stylists investigating more radical ideas from late 1973...

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June 1974: Compare and contrast

This unappealing effort looks clumsy compared with previous proposals..

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August 1974: Someone's been to Solihull

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October 1974: More development of a theme

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March 1975: smoothing the wedge

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September 1975: it's starting to look rather good...

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December 1975: Another double-sided clay

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March 1976: That model evolves...

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August 1976: That model evolves...

There appears to be plenty of work going on here, with two XJ40 prototypes being reviewed...

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January 1977: nearly there...

Definitely getting close to the finishing line now - with real XJ6 (1986) styling cuse on the top proposal at least. Note the curious flush door handles on the bottom one... would they have been a winner on a luxury car?

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March 1977: nearly there...

The main debate at this stage in the programme was whether the XJ40 was going to be a four- or six-light design. This four-ligter looks rather appealing... but didn't win through sadly.

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July 1977: More four-light ideas

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Summer 1977

There's still some indecision about the rear lamp treatment - to go for XJ6-style 'gothic' items, or for something a little more conventional?

da aronline.co.uk

porossima puntata dall'78 all'80 più le varie proposte Pinin, Bertone e Giugi

 

Modificato 27 Marzo 2020 da Beckervdo

[j]

78:

March 1978

Twin wipers, colour coded mirrors, and a rather ugly treatment of headlamps are the order of the day here.

Modificato 13 Novembre 2008 da j

[Touareg 2.5]

La num 72 è stupenda.

[j]

Ecco le italiane..e con questo si conclude la storia della Jaguar XJ40

During the Seventies, Bertone, Ital Design and Pininfarina were all asked to to produce studies for the XJ40 project.

The reason for the interest in the Italian styling house was simple - Jaguar boss, Geoffrey Robinson, had just returned from Innocenti in Italy and had seen first hand just how effective the country's designers were. He wanted to see if they could work the same magic on Jaguar's design as they had on so many other companies.

Sadly, the answer seems to have been negative...

Modificato 13 Novembre 2008 da j

[j]

La num 72 è stupenda.

[Touareg 2.5]

... Quelle italiane sn delle lancia e fiat con calandre diverse .. mah

[PaoloGTC]

Ma alla fine ce l'hanno fatta a farla 'sta macchina?????

Ma quante maquettes fa la Jag quando decide di studiare un nuovo modello??

Comunque, che tesoro che hai postato J.. spettacolo. Vado matto per queste cose (forse si era capito, neh?? )

Riguardo le proposte, quoto Touareg, la 72 è davvero bella.

Mi piace molto (anche se poco Jag forse) il frontale incaxxatello della 78 (prima foto)... mentre per le proposte italiane, non mi dispiace affatto quella di Bertone... pollice verso per il Giugi (era ubriaco??!!??) mentre la Pinin... allora GM aveva ragione!! (seguendo il link che hai postato)... mai dubitare di GM (tranne quando scambia le Uno per Panda Super ).

Gran bel lavoro (eccheccavolo stavolta lo dico io) J!!

[xbertone]

Grazie mille!

Bellissime foto.

[j]

Finto con le Land ritorno alle Jaguar con la XJ-S

Replacing the legendary E-type was never going to be easy for Jaguar - and radical thinking was going to be needed.

Ian Nicholls charts the development of the car that was given the uneasy task, the XJ-S.

Initial thoughts: the XJ21 project

This car has a different nose, but which came first?

Above are Malcolm Sayer's designs for an XJ21 roadster and coupe.

The above images are models of what appears to be XJ21 proposals.

da aronline.co.uk

Modificato 13 Novembre 2008 da j

[j]

Moving on: XJ27

With his impending retirement at the age of 70, Sir William Lyons was left to set up a Jaguar styling department. Here is an early effort at an XJ saloon based GT for the XJ27 project penned by Lyons' men, Or this could be the XJ 3-litre mentioned earlier?

An XJ27 styling model.

XJ27 clay model showing two different front-end treatments. The left hand one is quite close to that of the production XJ-S.

Clay model or running prototype ? The number plate is deceiving! According to one source the first prototype was produced in 1969.

A rear view, but is it the same car ? Note the E-type badging and reference to the 4.2-litre XK engine, a powerplant the production XJ-S never used, although it was at one stage proposed and running prototypes were built. However the XK engine's extra height required a different bonnet shape and the project was abandoned.

Apart from minor details, this prototype is close to the production XJS announced in September 1975. The styling of the XJS was frozen in 1972.

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Replacing the legendary E-type was never going to be easy for Jaguar - and radical thinking was going to be needed.

Ian Nicholls charts the development of the car that was given the uneasy task, the XJ-S.

A brave new direction

THEY say that history repeats itself, and Jaguar's latest product launch had something of a familar feel to it for those with longer memories. When the wraps came off the Ian Callum-styled XF, it was hailed as the embodiment of the end of the retro era - and a confident leap into a bright future. Many pundits had concluded that big cats deliberately styled to ape the past were detrimental to the firm's sales, and by turning its back on retro, Jaguar was making a positive policy change. In the opinion of many, Jaguar was locked in a timewarp, unable to evolve and progress its styling beyond the 1968 XJ6.

While Jaguar stagnated, its rivals were producing modern designs for the 21st century for drivers who weren't turned on by such historical baggage. Ian Callum's radical re-interpretation of what makes a Jaguar was precisely what the company needed at the time - but the company had been there before. Back in September 1975 and with the launch of the XJ-S, traditionalists were questioning whether the V12 grand tourer was what was actually needed in troubled times. In 1975, fuel costs were spiralling, and the global economy was teetering on the edge of meltdown - does that sound familar?

Jaguar historian Philip Porter wrote in his 1996 book Jaguar XK8: "No one could deny that the XJ-S was technically excellent, but it committed one cardinal sin, especially for a Jaguar. It lacked great beauty. Compare it with the XK120 and the E-type - Jaguar threw away all of its wonderful styling heritage. It may have been a factor that by this time Lyons was of advancing years and (Malcolm) Sayer was not a fit man - he died in 1970 at the age of only 53.

"The last E-types rolled off the production line in 1974 and after a brief hiatus the XJ-S appeared in 1975. The reception was a rather embarrassed silence. This was unprecedented for a Jaguar. I remember the day well , and I remember the great disappointment."

Philip Porter never seems to have warmed to the XJ-S despite its 21-year production run that resulted in 115,413 cars - making this the longest-lived Jaguar of them all. Yet, he shouldn't be that dismissive - compare the XJ-S's tally with the E-type's total production of 72,233 in 13 years. Not so bad after all. The best year for XJ-S production was 1989, when 10,665 left the Browns Lane factory, a full 14 years after the model's launch - the perfect Indian summmer. That's because it improved with each passing year, while the E-type seemed to do the opposite.

As other books by Graham Robson and Nigel Thorley detail, the XJ-S turned out to be a great success. The idea that it was some sort of misguided aberration devised by an off-form Jaguar design team is totally unfounded. It was a progressive design from a forward thinking design team who understodd the marque's heritage. However, the hostile reception, allied with Jaguar's controversial BL connection, and a troubled economy resulted in the near demise of the XJ-S in 1980 and insecurity over the way the forthcoming XJ40 would look...

From E to S: first thoughts

The above design appears to be an evolution of the E-type 2+2.

Malcolm Sayer was put in charge of the E-type replacement, codenamed XJ21 and this is where the detective work starts...

Work on XJ21 seems to have begun in 1966. The first concept, a coupe, emerged in October 1966 with a 105 inch wheelbase, the same as the 2+2 E-type. Differences were limited to a 2-inch wider track, expanding that measurement to 52 inches. A further styling scheme emerged in January 1967 featuring a different nose, air intake and wider rear wings. Malcolm Sayer also designed a convertible version, and a further revised design followed in March 1967.

By 1967-68, Jaguar's forward product plans included no less than four sportscars. First on the list was a long wheelbase roadster powered by the 5.3-litre V12 - and the Jaguar curiosity, a 3.5-litre V8. This engine should not to be confused with the ex-GM/Rover V8 that in 1968, joined Jaguar as part of the British Leyland Motor Corporation line-up.

The Jaguar engine was a 60-degree V8 version of the V12, and Jaguar hoped that it would replace the long-running XK. Unfortunately, Jaguar could never get the engine to perform to its satisfaction, probably because the ideal angle for a V8 engine is 90 degrees. Although Jaguar tested the V8 extensively, no photographs have yet emerged of the powerplant.

The next Jaguar sportscar was a two-seater coupe with flying buttresses, more of later, again with V8 and V12 power. There would also be a 2+2 version, essentially the same as the then current E-type, also with the aforementioned new engines. The fourth projected car was described as a 'four seater sports sedan'. Also known as the XJ 3-litre GT, this was a smaller car with a 96-inch wheelbase, distinctive twin headlamps and a truncated Kamm tail. Power was to come from the sadly underused 2.5-litre Daimler V8 or 3.5-litre Jaguar V8.

This product planning documentation implies that Jaguar planned to produce both XJ21 and what became the XJ-S.

On the 9th September 1968, Malcolm Sayer sent a memo to Jaguar boss Sir William Lyons. Sayer proposed a '2+2 sports based on XJ4 parts'. XJ4 was the codename for the new XJ6 saloon. In it, Sayer opined: "The image sought after is of a low wide high speed car at least as eyecatching as those the Italians will produce, even if it means sacrificing some of the more sensible values such as luggage and passenger space , silence, ease of entry."

Then on the 14th November, William Heynes sent a document to Sir William Lyons entitled the 'E-type Vehicle Project Plan'. Heynes argued that the forthcoming V12 engine should first be used in the E-type and then the XJ12 saloon. The design of the XJ21 was frozen in 1968, and Jaguar intended to produce it in both 2+2 coupe and roadster. At this stage, the plan was to introduce the V12 E-type, codenamed XJ25 in January 1970, with the XJ21 to follow in February 1971. By this time, the V12 engine was running behind schedule, and the XJ25 did not appear until March 1971.

Time was running out for the XJ21, which had been on the verge of being ordered into production. Malcolm Sayer's new concept of an XJ saloon based 2+2 coupe gathered momentum. As Oliver Winterbottom, then working in Jaguar's styling department recalled, "The brief was that it was a sports bodied XJ4 (XJ6) platform. We couldn't afford a brand new car - in fact, we had gone into BMH (the merger with BMC) because we couldn't afford the development of the XJ6. So the last thing anybody was going to be doing was developing totally new cars. I got involved in an alternative which was the XJ4 GT."

This was the point where XJ21 transformed into XJ27/28, and the XJ-S really began to take shape. Whereas the XJ21 had been based on the 1961 E-type, the altogether newer platform of the XJ saloon would underpin the XJ27/28. XJ27 was the codename given to the coupe and XJ28 to the roadster - it was at this point that the V12 was chosen to be the prestigious new grand tourer's motive power.

Perhaps the demise of the XJ21 was fortuitous, for its E-type ancestry would have been exposed. Jaguar planned to make its GT more refined, yet cheaper than its most obvious rivals, but at an E-type busting price in order to make some real money.

XJ-S wins through and starts to take shape

A Malcolm Sayer sketch for the XJ27.

Sir William Lyons said of the development of the XJ-S style: "We decided from the very first that aerodynamics were the prime concern and I exerted my influence in a consultative capacity with Malcolm Sayer. Occasionally I saw a feature that I did not agree with and we would discuss it. I took my influence as far as I could without interfering with his basic aerodynamic requirements and he and I worked on the first styling models together.

"We originally considered a lower bonnet line but the international regulations on crash control and lighting made us change and we started afresh . Like all Jaguars we designed it to challenge any other of its type in the world - at whatever price - and still come out on top".

A quote, in which Jaguar's founder and chief stylist clearly nails his colours to the mast as approving of the XJ-S's styling and indeed having a hand in it... Sayer's most controversial contribution to the XJ27 were the flying buttresses. These added structural strength, aided aerodynamics and improved stability at high speed. And although the press hated them when it first appeared, whenever the company attempted to re-style the XJ-S without the flying buttresses, customer clinics would invariably return negative results.

Under the skin, the situation was now much more straightforward. Based on a 102-inch version of the XJ6's 108-inch floorpan, the XJ27 achieved its more compact stance by moving the rear suspension forward. The power of that V12 engine would be kept in check by the Lucas fuel injection system that first appeared on the Series 2 XJ12 in May 1975.

Not plain sailing for Jaguar

Nearly there: An XJ27 mock up. Note the chrome bumpers.

Lofty England succeeded Lyons as Jaguar chairman in March 1972, but friction with Geoffrey Robinson, resulted in his premature retirement in 1974. This left just Harry Mundy, in charge of engines, and Bob Knight, now technical director, fighting for the old guard. Robinson was a controversial boss for Jaguar, but he seems to have had a close rapport with Knight - but was this at the cost of the quality of the company's output?

Knight later claimed that £24m of Jaguar's profits between 1968 and 1974 was taken from Browns Lane to invest in other parts of BLMC. To his credit, Robinson had ambitious plans for Jaguar, and when he arrived at Browns Lane in 1973, there was a two-year waiting list for the XJs, and he felt that production should be expanded to Browns Lane's limit of 50-60,000 cars per annum. This would be combined with improved working conditions and a new paint plant (that would never go live). As Jaguar had needed to merge with BMC to fund the XJ's development, quite clearly it had to generate more profit to become a stand-alone company.

Robinson’s plans for Jaguar were to be thwarted by outside events. Not long after he arrived at Jaguar the Yom Kippur Arab-Israeli war erupted, prompting petrol shortages and then petrol price rises. The west's easy economic ride since 1945 ended abruptly and the era of cheap energy drew to a close. All of a sudden BLMC's most important car was the Mini.

The energy crisis also fuelled inflation, which could only worsen industrial relations with Jaguars workforce who found their pay packets diminishing in real terms as the cost of living soared. Jaguar had to cut back on production and then in December 1974 BLMC ran out of money and the government agreed to step in. Geoffrey Robinson resigned as Jaguar chairman and the company lost its autonomy. By the time the XJ-S appeared, Jaguar was effectively run by Browns Lane's plant director Peter Craig, and engineering supremo Bob Knight, who reported directly to Leyland Cars' Derek Whittaker.

Tragically Malcolm Sayer, a heavy smoker in an era where nicotine addiction was the norm, died at the early age of 54 in July 1970. The styling of the XJ-S was then inherited by Doug Thorpe who was reportedly unhappy about the flying buttresses. However Malcolm Sayer's work was vindicated when it was proved that the XJ-S was more aerodynamically efficient than the Series 3 E-type.

Fears that open cars would be outlawed in the USA were responsible for the axing of the XJ28 roadster, and although the possibility of such a ban disappeared in 1974, it was too late for both the XJ-S and the Triumph TR7. The previous generation of British sports cars had had to be adapted to meet US regulations, often to the detriment of the car's styling, but both TR7 and the XJ-S were designed from the outset to incorporate all the changes the American market demanded.

[...]

The Jaguar XJ-S was finally unveiled to the world in September 1975.

da aronline.co.uk

a tra poco con un duo Jaguar...le Jaguar XJ41/XJ42