The Jaguar XJ was redesigned for 2010, and has been hailed as the new era of Jaguar. The XJ, along with the 2010 Jaguar XK, and Jaguar XF are the remaining models in the Jaguar lineup. In keeping with Ian Callum’s new design direction for Jaguar, the new XJ is an all-new exterior design and a break from the XJ series mould carried over on all previous generations. It is a longer, wider car that looks much bigger than its predecessor. The front has clear links with the executive car XF, although with slimmer, sleeker lights and a larger, squarer grille and more aggressive appearance. The rear is the contentious part, like nothing Jaguar has shown before. The upright, swooping taillights, nicknamed ‘cat’s claws’, and black roof panels each side of the rear screen, which aim to hide the XJ’s width, are the most striking aspects. There is also a standard full, length sunroof, which extends all the way back with just a single body-coloured roof panel that the designer likens to bridges on yachts.

But where did the XJ begin? Back in 1968 the original model was released as the Series I  XJ6. Power assisted steering and leather upholstery were standard on the 2.8 L ‘De Luxe’ and 4.2 L models and air conditioning was offered as an optional extra on the 4.2 L. Daimler versions were launched in October 1969, in a series of television advertisements featuring Sir William. In these spots, he referred to the car as “the finest Jaguar ever”. An unusual feature, inherited from the Jaguar Mark X, was the provision of twin fuel tanks, positioned on each side of the boot / trunk, and filled using two separately lockable filler caps: one on the top of each wing above the rear wheel arches.

The XJ12 version, featuring simplified grille treatment, and powered by a 5.3 L V12 engine (coupled to a Borg Warner Model 12), was announced in July 1972:[1] the car was presented at that time as the world’s only 12-cylinder four door car. 3,235 of these first generation XJ12s were built. Again, an upmarket version, this time called the Daimler Double-Six, was available, reviving the Daimler model name of 1926-1938. Since the sixties the famed model has gone through many changes, been offered in many forms, and at times has even been questioned. But Jaguar has managed to keep the XJ, in one form or another, alive all these years. Today, it is the future of Jaguar.