Conceived as a comfortable and long-legged Grand Routier rather than an out-and-out sports car like the preceding E-Type, the XJ-S made use of the Jaguar XJ6/XJ12 platform and running gear. Shorter in the wheelbase than its saloon siblings, the XJ-S debuted as a V12-powered coupé, with six-cylinder and soft-top versions following in the 1980s.

The car's 150mph performance was not achieved without penalty however, its prodigious thirst causing sales to nosedive as oil prices soared. However, the arrival of the HE (High Efficiency) V12 in 1981 and the introduction of the smaller six - the XJ-S was the first model to receive Jaguar's new 3.6-litre AJ6 engine - enabled it to weather the storm.

Autocar much appreciated the first all-new Jaguar six since 1948: 'It is the 24-valve engine's flexibility that impresses most. Such is its low-down pulling power that, in town and urban conditions, one rarely needs more than 2,000rpm to keep up with the traffic flow.' In manual transmission form the new 3.6-litre XJ-S was capable of reaching 137mph, yet at a steady 56mph delivered 36 miles to the gallon, a massive improvement over the original 12-cylinder version.

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