DAVID BECKHAM (& MICHAEL OWEN & ALAN SHEARER)

Beckham bought an XK8 during the early days of the Posh and Becks romance – it was the next best thing to Victoria’s favourite car, the Aston Martin DB7. It was enough to woo the famous Spice Girl as it was more-or-less a DB7 in looks as well as underneath the luscious-looking exterior.

In 1999, Beckham’s England team mate, Michael Owen, entered into a three-year marketing contract to drive Jaguars and selected a supercharged XKR after trialling an XK8. Fellow England striker, Alan Shearer, followed suit with an XKR but goalkeeper David Seaman opted for the lower-spec XK8. That’s almost half the England team driving a Jaguar XK8 or XKR – it’s fair to say the car is a clear successor to the XJS.

At the time Jaguar did market the car for the more mature driver and the general perception was that ownership was aimed at a senior level, such as that of a football team manager. So to see young players at the wheel of these Jaguars did break the mould of driving stereotypes at the time.

FUN FOOTBALL FACT The 1998 World Cup featured all three XK8/XKR owners, with Beckham, Owen and Shearer all scoring in the group stages. The second-round match against Argentina saw Owen score one of the best goals of the entire tournament – and Beckham famously sent off.