JAGUAR

XJ6 X300

The Jaguar XJ (X300) is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1994 and 1997. It was the first XJ produced entirely under Ford ownership, and can be considered an evolution of the outgoing XJ40 generation. Like all previous XJ generations, it features the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement. The design of the X300 placed emphasis on improved build quality, improved reliability, and a return to traditional Jaguar styling elements. At the car's launch in October 1994 at the Paris Motor Show, Jaguar marketing material made use of the phrase "New Series XJ" to describe the X300 models. The X300 series represented the result of a £200 million facilities renewal program by Ford. The program introduced state-of-the-art automated body welding robots manufactured by Nissan, and was intended to show the future direction of the British auto industry. Aesthetically, the X300 received several updates in the design refresh led by Geoff Lawson in 1991. The mostly flat bonnet of the XJ40 was replaced with a fluted, curvaceous design that accentuated the four separate round headlamps. Rear wings were reshaped to accommodate the new wrap-around rear light clusters. Also, the separate black-rubber bumper bar of the XJ40 was replaced with a fully integrated body-coloured bumper. The Jaguar "leaper" hood mascot was installed only on cars for non-European markets. These vehicles feature 8 disc tumbler Tibbe lock barrels similar to Ford vehicles at the time, except Ford used a 6 disc lock hence the key blade and barrels being shorter on Ford models. Aston Martin also used the same locks as fitted to these Jaguar's.