JAGUAR XJS CELEBRATION REVIEW
Last of the line Jag’s still best of the lot
To say the XJS took a while to come good is putting it mildly – it took decades for it to emerge from the long shadow cast by its predecessor. But Jaguar never gave up on it and by the Nineties, it had finally evolved into the car it always should have been.
As is often the case with machines made on these shores, the later XJSS are the finest. Best of all is the Celebration Convertible. This striking example, offered for sale recently by The Market, is one of these unicorns.
Its 4-litre straight-six engine makes 238bhp and allows this party Jag to hit 60mph in seven seconds and top out at 150mph. What was this even plusher XJS celebrating I hear you ask? The 60th anniversary of Jaguar and two decades of
XJS production, that’s what.
Driving an XJS always feels like an occasion. Though I love an E-type, don’t get me wrong, for my generation it’s the later Jag
GT that seems to resonate. Perhaps it’s down to Keanu Reeves jumping from an open-topped
XJS onto Sandra Bullock’s ill-fated public transport in 1994’s summer blockbuster movie Speed… but probably not. It’s likely more down to the fact that we love an underdog. Though there’s very little that’s below par on these later cars, especially when you factor in the Celebration’s extra chrome, trim and rims.
Though its engine is down six cylinders on the former range-topping XJS, it doesn’t suffer for it – if anything, it’s a vast improvement. After all, the old Jaguar V12 was a bit of a lump; thirsty, not especially powerful and rarely reliable.
The much more modern AJ-16 engine is a delight by comparison and far more competitive when judged back-to-back
‘The party Jag can hit 60mph in just seven seconds’
Can you even call it a Jaguar without wood?
with its mid-nineties rivals.
Power delivery is a little peakier than the old 12-cylinder, but there’s a more sporting feel to this GT as a result. The ride is Jaguar’s usual blend of supple yet cosseting, which is bang on – reinforced by the fact that much of it provided the foundation of both the Aston Martin DB7 and Jaguar XK8.