Road Test
Jaguar XJ50 packs a lot of party punch
Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons wanted a limo that handled like an E-Type so the XJ was created 50 years ago
Given the number of Jaguar XJ derivatives that could have borne the limited-run XJ50 anniversary badge, it came as a surprise that the company chose a 3.0l V6 diesel rather than any of the rowdy 5.0l supercharged V8s in its catalogue. This is of course the rant of a youthful and ruffian heart. Fifty years ago when the Series 1 XJ appeared it was powered by either a 2.8l and 4.2l six-cylinder engine. The intentions were clear. It would continue the tradition of dignified, understated but fast saloons like the Mk II of 1960 and sold for the indulgence of discerning lords of manors, dukes and duchesses. The more scintillating XJ-R dragsters with their oversized alloys and fire-breathing V8s we have come to know appeared only in the early nineties. I guess the 3.0l diesel lump is the most reminiscent of the ethos of the first cars from 1968.
The special interior is tinged with an aroma of old money thanks to being clad in soft grain diamond-quilted cow hide. A Jaguar leaper is em...
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