Meet the Jaguar F-Type. No, not that one.

"If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent" (essextee) 02/15/2018 at 10:53 • Filed to: car stories, cydka, concept cars, Embiggen this, Essextee

40

28

This one. The original one, the one built as a successor to the legendary E-Type. Or rather, the car that was supposed to be a successor. The car that spent a decade in development before ultimately getting cancelled. Gather round, kids, and let me tell you its story.

In 1980 Jaguar was faced with flagging sales of the XJ-S. The car was losing popularity and was really a different class of vehicle than the XKE it was supposed to have replaced. It was more of a comfy GT than a true sports car. So, what was Jag to do? Build a new car, of course! It was going to be a striking coupe/convertible, powered by a straight six and more hardcore than the XJ-S was ever going to be. The project was officially kicked off in the spring of 1980, known internally as the XJ41 for the coupe and XJ42 for the drophead.

Notice the license plate. The XJ41 (along with the related XJ40 sedan) was supposed to be key to Jaguar expanding its U.S. operations.

The goal was to keep it light and small. It was going to be built on the platform of the upcoming XJ40 sedan with the same interior to keep costs down. Development went quickly. Prototypes equipped with the venerable AJ6 engine were tested with a top speed of 159mph and a 0-60 of 6.6 seconds. The project was fully backed by British Leyland and production was set for 1986.

Then, the XJ40 sedan got delayed. This caused the F-type to get pushed back to 1988. That was when the project started to slide downhill. The production delay gave the competition time to release more cars. Better cars. Faster cars. To keep it competitive, Jaguar had to go back and revise the XJ41.

And revise, they did. The car grew, it became longer, wider. It gained two turbos and AWD. It was given a bespoke interior. Luxury features were added. The original target weight of 1500kg ballooned to a massive 1800kg. The traditional trunk was dropped for a sloping glass hatch. A targa top was explored. Performance was world class again, with 330hp and a top speed in excess of 170. Production kept getting pushed back and back as these changes were made. By the time the previous 1988 launch date came around, production was predicted as no sooner than 1994.

There are clear similarities to the XJ220 in that front end design.

The death knell for the XJ41/2 came when Ford bought Jaguar in 1989. The company and all its projects were given a ground-up evaluation. The F-Type was found to be too far behind, too expensive, and too off-track from its original vision. With this as well as a resurgence in popularity of the XJS, the decision to be made was clear. It was put on an indefinite hold in 1990.

Not all was lost, however. Tom Walkinshaw took notice of the project being dropped and commissioned none other than Ian Callum to pick up where Jag left off. The car was completely reworked, put on a crash diet, and modified to fit on the XJS platform.

Callum had built what the car was supposed to be from the very beginning. Ford still didn’t want it for Jaguar, though, so Walkinshaw turned around and offered it to Aston Martin. They jumped on it and the car became what we now know as the DB7. In a twist of fate, Jaguar saw what a success it was for Aston and wanted a piece of that action. And thus, the XK8 was born.

In the end, this long forgotten cancelled project from the 80's spawned not one, but two production vehicles.

yitznewton > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/14/2016 at 10:03

0

Wow, I see FD RX-7, Ford Probe, and Mustang in that design.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/14/2016 at 10:10

4

It’s such a crying shame they didn’t make this to schedule. A 1500kg AJ6-engined Jag on the XJ40 platform would have been a hell of a car, and likely what I’d be driving today...

Actually, that sounds damn close to what I'd do to an XJS if I got hold of one.

AfromanGTO > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/14/2016 at 10:10

5

I was noticing how much Aston Martin I saw in those first pictures, and then reading the article it made sense. Wow, so the F-Type became the DB7 and then the XK8. lol

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AfromanGTO 06/14/2016 at 10:13

4

You’re not seeing Aston Martin in the Jag, you’re seeing Jag in the Aston Martin.

Party-vi > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/14/2016 at 10:14

1

I would like an XJ8 or XK8 if they weren’t such large rolling garbage barges.

KatzManDu > Party-vi 06/14/2016 at 10:17

0

XK8RS — does such a beastie exist? I know there was an XK8R...

Party-vi > KatzManDu 06/14/2016 at 10:22

0

Do you mean the XKR? There is the XKR-S which is on sale now.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/14/2016 at 10:23

0

I always thought the XK and the DB7 looked just a little too similar.

sony1492 > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/14/2016 at 10:30

2

Sam > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/14/2016 at 10:32

1

That interior is hideous. It’s like they failed at imitating early 90's BMWs. Pop-up headlights are stupid. It would actually look better with fixed lights. The whole exterior looks fantastic, though.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Sam 06/14/2016 at 13:58

3

I don’t think those were traditional pop-ups though. The car was developed concurrently with the XJ220, so it stands to reason that they operate in the same way:

RT > Party-vi 06/14/2016 at 18:36

2

XJRS to the rescue!

Party-vi > RT 06/14/2016 at 21:23

0

oh neato!

AuthiCooper1300 > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/15/2018 at 11:17

1

Wow, very nice feature. I knew both the Aston and the Jag were related and based to some extent on the XJS floorpan but had never seen anything about the transition between the first leaked photos of the “F-Type” and the end result.

One can point out that certain cars cast a much too long shadow on the industry – in particular, on the companies that originally built them. Jaguar will be forever trying to build “the new E-Type”; Citroën’s products will always have to endure the comparison with the DS (or the 2CV, for that matter) and so on. I dread to think what will happen to the Land Rover product that will inherit the mantle of “the new Defender”.

And yet most of those legendary cars were not trying be inspired by anything else. They were standalone creations and did not try to ape or mimic some mythical aura from a distant past.

Later edit:

This whole “embiggen” lark has turned out to be an absolutely brilliant idea. Come on, “Essex” - give us another one... soon!

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AuthiCooper1300 02/15/2018 at 11:21

1

All the best cars come from manufacturers just sorta doin’ their own thing.

AuthiCooper1300 > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/15/2018 at 11:29

0

And then along comes the marketing department - truly the spawn of the devil – making silly demands that truly deviate the whole project from its intended aim.

Cue mission creep and what was likely going to be a world beater ends up being... unremarkable. Which is about the worst fate any decent product can suffer.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AuthiCooper1300 02/15/2018 at 11:40

1

That’s what happened to the XJ220. Marketing started touting it as a V12 AWD hypercar long before the production version was finalized. Loads of people put down deposits based on that expectation and what was delivered was a V6 RWD car. Everybody wanted their deposits back and it turned into a PR nightmare for Jaguar even though the production car was faster than the original V12 version.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AuthiCooper1300 02/15/2018 at 11:40

0

That’s what happened to the XJ220. Marketing started touting it as a V12 AWD hypercar long before the production version was finalized. Loads of people put down deposits based on that expectation and what was delivered was a V6 RWD car. Everybody wanted their deposits back and it turned into a PR nightmare for Jaguar even though the production car was faster than the original V12 version.

HammerheadFistpunch > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/15/2018 at 11:46

0

interdasting. very cool story.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/15/2018 at 12:22

2

“The car was completely reworked, put on a crash diet, and modified to fit on the XJS platform. 

Callum had built what the car was supposed to be from the very beginning. Ford still didn’t want it for Jaguar, though, so Walkinshaw turned around and offered it to Aston Martin. They jumped on it and the car became what we now know as the DB7. In a twist of fate, Jaguar saw what a success it was for Aston and wanted a piece of that action. And thus, the XK8 was born.”

I always thought this was absolutely hilarious. Ford buys Aston and Jag, goes “Aston! You need a new car!”, Aston throws up their hands and looks at Jag who hands goes “uh we have a stillborn concept and out 20 year old grand touring coupe” and Aston goes “yeah we can make this work”

And thus the XJ-S lives on for another 10 years as the DB7 and XK8. Hilarious.

Also amusing: prior to 1983 the XJ-S was actually a “more hardcore” sports car. The “HE” refresh brought a more fuel efficient engine that was more powerful in stock form but less of a fan of mods, the rear sway bar went away, the front got smaller, spring rates got softer, the interior got a bit more plush with nicer seats and wood trim everywhere as well as a more technologically advanced center stack and it went from being called a “sports car” to a “luxury grand tourer”, probably in an attempt to distance itself from the E-type it replaced. And it worked, amusingly. Personally I love my pre-HE, even if the floor is rusting to absolute pieces.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 02/15/2018 at 12:24

1

Add lightness and some nicer rubber and wheels to a pre-HE XJ-S. Done.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/15/2018 at 12:51

1

I just find it funny how this failed money pit of a project ended up spawning two of the greatest British sports cars of this era. It makes you wonder how many other cars have a similar story.

Chariotoflove > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/16/2018 at 14:05

1

My first thought was that this looked like the XK. I’m so glad fate brought us this car.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Chariotoflove 02/16/2018 at 14:18

1

The first pic looks almost like someone put a Jag bodykit on a Miata.

Chariotoflove > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/16/2018 at 14:27

1

Yeah, kinda. I’d live with a constant semi just knowing that was in my garage.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Chariotoflove 02/16/2018 at 14:29

1

I don’t know whether I’d want the hardcore lightweight early version or turbo luxury revision more.

Chariotoflove > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/16/2018 at 14:37

0

I’m more of a powerful GT guy, so probably the later.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Chariotoflove 02/16/2018 at 14:52

1

I think that’s what I’d go for too.