When Jaguar’s XJ range arrived in 1968, it quickly established itself not only as a world-beater but also as the central model in the Jaguar range. Riding high throughout the 1970s, it was nevertheless losing some of its appeal by the time Ford bought the Jaguar company at the end of the next decade. These last three generations of the classic Jaguar XJ saloons closed an era in which Jaguar had symbolised the British approach to luxury motoring. That it no longer reflected what many buyers wanted by the end was a sad reflection of the changing times, but cannot take away from the excellence and desirability of the cars themselves. Today increasingly prized by enthusiast owners, these XJs in so many ways show the marque at its peak, and this book highlights why that is so.

James Taylor has been writing professionally about cars since the late 1970s, and his interests embrace a wide range of older cars of all makes and nationalities, as well as classic buses, lorries and military vehicles. He has written several books about BMW cars within a portfolio that now consists of well over 150 books. Many of these have been definitive one-make or one-model titles, including a number for Crowood. He has also written for enthusiast magazines in several countries, has translated books from foreign languages, and makes sure he always has something old and interesting in the garage.