Jaguar XJ-S

Launched 10 September 1975 on the XJ saloon platform and built until April 1996 — 115,413 cars. Suspension is double wishbone. The engine line runs 5.3 V12 at about 272hp, then the V12 HE from July 1981 with Michael May’s high-swirl heads (295hp in Europe, 263hp in North America), then a 6.0 litre from May 1992 at 304hp — with the AJ6 3.6 six from 1983 and the AJ6 4.0 in the 1991-on cars. And the brake fact: the rear discs are inboard on early cars and outboard from May 1993. That is the single most parts-relevant change in the model’s life, and it decides what you order before anything else about the car does.

The 1991 facelift is the glass breakpoint. Under Ford, the hyphen was dropped from the name and the body was reworked with enlarged rear side windows and minimised buttresses, a redesigned rear fascia and boot, new instruments and aerodynamic bumpers. Pre-1991 and post-1991 rear quarter glass are different parts. Bodies: coupé throughout, the XJ-SC targa from 1983 to 1988, and a full convertible from 1988. Transmissions ran from the Borg-Warner Model 12 and Turbo-Hydramatic 400 early on, through a Getrag 265 five-speed manual on the six from 1983 to 1987, to the later ZF 4HP22 and GM 4L80E. Production splits three ways: 14,800 pre-HE cars to 1981, 73,207 HE/3.6/XJ-SC cars to 1991, and 27,406 facelift cars.