by Don Kincl
Looking at these, I can’t help but think that the Jaguar XJ-S was the British analogue to the Continental Mark IV/V. Some might say heresy, but the reality is that they rather appealed to the same market. The XJ-S never was overtly sporty, even if it had the chops to be sort of be so, certainly more so than the big Marks. But that wasn’t really its shtick; it was all about…well, you know what it was all about, in both cases.
So there’s a natural affinity to these oldsters hanging out together.
I was going to link to an XJ-S Coupe CC, but we’ve never really done one. Oh my…
But we have no less than IV on the Mark IV.
The Mark IV is a 1973 – The only year with 5mph bumpers on the front but not the back.
“grandfather’s clock”
(James May about the Jag XJ-S).
Whenever I see an XJ-S I think that it would have looked 1000% better without that flying buttress roofline. There is a model of this car that used a ” conventional ” hardtop that I think was a short lived model, and I believe there was also a ” conventional looking ” convertible top model…or is my brain playing games? Both of those variants are, I guess, a bit pedestrian, but to my eyes they do present better in the metal.
Nothing special about the flying buttresses. Indeed, they come from late ’60’s plebian origins such as Chevelle, F-85, Tempest and Special. Then, even the gen-2 Charger adopted them.
For all their ubiquity ……. I like ’em!
Yes, the convertible had a different profile and there a hardtop in that same profile available, on the aftermarket
There was a Daimler version planned without the buttresses. But never produced.
They’re just “buttresses.”
A flying buttress is elevated and connects to another part of the construction.
I love the XJ-S. The Mark IV, not so much. I’ve wanted one since my mother owned 2 consecutively back in the late 80’s. It’s the only car from that decade that I’d still like to own. Unfortunately now that I conceivably afford to buy a decent coupe I could never afford to actually keep one running. Sadly that’s why so many (most?) of them look just like these 3.
IIRC, transplanting in a SBC drivetrain used to be a popular way to keep an XJ-S roadworthy, making it sort of a British Monte Carlo.
Some had inline sixes after 1983, I don’t know how reliable they are compared to the V12 but I imagine they’re easier to deal with.
I’m one of those weirdos who thinks the XJ/S is cooler than the E-Type. But large sport coupes are my thing, the XJ/S is like a Jaguar Cougar, or a Jaguar Charger, down to the buttresses both have had
I believe the opera windows were optional in 1972, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one without, or without vinyl. That would be a rare car with neither.
Initially they were optional, and there are press photos of the 1972 model without them. They were so popular with customers that Ford simply made them standard for 1973.
I’ve loved the XJS since it was first introduced. I miss seeing them around SoCal – most have disappeared and we all know why. Therefore, I was thrilled recently to see this YouTube video that extolls the car’s virtues and includes an owner appreciation drive at the end. Enjoy:
As the owner of an ’89 XJS convertible, I enjoyed the video. I’m a fan of Magnus and his Porsches. A stock XJS was the winner of one of Brock Yates’ early Cannonball Coast to Coast events, cruising at speeds of up to 130 mph. Much like the contemporary 911s they were designed for sustained high speed driving on the Continent.
The Continental Mark IV was designed for high speed driving on this continent. The speeds here are lower, highways are much straighter, but much longer. The Mark was for relaxed, quiet, freeway driving. It is like most American cars, it is of unsophisticated specification, but is long lived and generally reliable. They are also much easier to maintain and repair.
The XJS even when new, was more complicated and complex, and prone to what we refer to as “niggles”, little problems that constantly need to be addressed. They were bought by people that could afford them and the costs of keeping them in good condition. As they worked their way down the affluence ladder they become owned by enthusiasts that were reluctant to invest the kind of work and money, they need to keep them healthy, so they tend to just let them sit. Often for years on end. These were Jaguar’s answer to the Jensen Interceptor, which made the last series of XKEs seem very outdated. I do agree with the woman in the video when she tells Magnus that she thinks of her car as “a high maintenance bitch.” I got a laugh from that, but it is an apt analogy.
Are they really going to increase in desirability and value? We in the XJS community have been hoping for that for years. Any interesting old car should, it seems. I’ve noticed that the Mark IV has started to gain favor, I wouldn’t mind one myself, but they are just so big.