JAGUAR

JAGUAR XJ: 50 YEARS OF AN ICON 1979 SERIES 3 The Series 3, launched in 1979, was a superb evolution of the breed and involved the input of renowned Italian design house Pininfarina. Key detail differentiators beyond subtle proportional changes were flusher ‘letterbox-style’ door handles, the deletion of quarter-light windows (the triangular bits of glass just behind the A-pillar on older cars) and injection-moulded black bumpers with integrated indicator lights. Such was its success, the Series 3 remained in production for 13 years, overlapping with its XJ40 successor. Also in 1979, Sony commercialised a product that allowed people to listen to music wherever they went by miniaturising a cassette player so it could easily fit on a belt or inside a pocket. Light and shock-proof – so ideal for joggers – the Walkman sold 200 million units in cassette form and paved the way for CD and digital music services that continue the portable music trend to this day. “THE SERIES 3 REMAINED IN PRODUCTION FOR 13 YEARS, OVERLAPPING ITS XJ40 SUCCESSOR” HEAVY METAL MOD In 2018, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain commissioned Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works to custom build his “Greatest Hits” Jaguar, based on a 1984 XJ6. The vehicle came to life as a creative collaboration between McBrain, Jaguar engineers and Jaguar Design Studio Director (and professed metal head) Wayne Burgess. It involved more than 3,500 man-hours of work and more than 4,000 parts were refinished, replaced or redesigned. Add to this substantial modifications to the exterior, interior, drivetrain and suspension and McBrain’s dream XJ was ready to hit the roads. PHOTOGRAPHY: SONY; DORLING KINDERSLEY: GARY OMBLER/MUSEUM OF DESIGN IN PLASTICS, BOURNEMOUTH ARTS UNIVERSITY, UK 74 THE JAGUAR

1986 “XJ40” The XJ6 launched in 1986 and was to become known by its internal codename ‘XJ40’ over time by Jaguar cognoscenti. It was a significant design break from the three previous series of XJs, opting for a more angular exterior approach, however still staying true to the traditional materials used for its interiors. It was also the first Jaguar interior to receive proper ergonomic study and introduced back-lit dials and digital readouts for some driver information. A new suspension was added too, after millions of miles of testing done by Bob Knight’s successor as Chief Engineer Jim Randle and his team, who had been working on the update since the 1970s. Within its lifecycle, in 1989, Sir Tim Berners-Lee developed something called the World Wide Web which has since allowed the world’s knowledge to be stored and accessed by anyone with an internet link and become the world’s primary way of finding out information. 1994 X300 The mid-90s saw the X300 model – the first product programme delivered by Jaguar since its acquisition by Ford in 1990 – return to rounder forms, neater body-coloured bumpers and the introduction of a distinctively mesh-grilled high-performance XJR model. The new 326PS Supercharged 4.0 litre engine, a first for volume production luxury saloons, also ensured that the X300 was a truly exciting ride. In its facelift year of 1997, the world’s first plasma TV – the QFTV by Fujitsu – showed the slimmer shape of the televisual future, while acclaimed product designer Ron Arad brought out the unusually organic Fantastic Plastic Elastic chair with clever use of lightweight metals. Arad was no stranger to the world of car design either, having made his early name by re-working a Rover car seat into a lounge chair. THE JAGUAR 75