XJ40 Appreciation

"Jagvar" (Jagvar) 11/13/2013 at 12:05 • Filed to: None

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Of all the generations of the Jaguar XJ, I'd say the XJ40 has aged the most gracefully. A perfect balance of angles and curves. Stately without being overwrought. Despite its large size, it looks graceful and lithe parked next to the luxury sedans of today.

Unfortunately, I hardly ever see them anymore, as most have gone to the scrap yard. The few I do see are usually peeling, faded, beat to hell, and sitting on sagging springs. The thought of buying an old XJ40 and restoring it to showroom spec is appealing, but surely a Project Car Hell if ever there was one.

Nibby > Jagvar 11/13/2013 at 12:12

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If you can find one in good condition, they're actually pretty reliable machines. My favorite in the XJ series.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Jagvar 11/13/2013 at 13:43

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It's good to know someone else feels the same. I like a good Series XJ, but the styling is a little on the fussy side. The XJ40 is a much more refined design.

I see quite a few around and about, but I suppose it's different being in the UK. They sold hundreds of thousands of the things here, but as you said most have met the scrapper.

I'll let you know how restoring one back to factory spec goes once I've finished mine. It would be finished already if I hadn't decided it needed a manual rather than an auto. Turns out parts availability is fairly good, unless you want to row your own.

Pics? Lets have some pics.