This British grand tourer marked a major reset for Jaguar in the late 1990s. It replaced the long-running XJS and returned the brand to a more traditional two-door luxury sports-car format, offered as both coupé and convertible. The car debuted in 1996 as a 1997 model-year vehicle and quickly became important to Jaguar’s modern identity because it introduced the company’s new V8 era and helped re-establish the marque in the premium sports-car market.
Its design blended classic Jaguar themes with a smoother, more contemporary shape, while the engineering package moved the brand forward from the straight-six and V12 formulas of earlier decades. The launch model was followed by a supercharged performance derivative, which broadened the range from refined grand touring into true high-performance territory. Over time, the line received updates and special editions, and the final cars were built in the mid-2000s before the nameplate gave way to a newer XK generation.
Enthusiasts often view this model as the bridge between Jaguar’s traditional sports-car heritage and its modern aluminum-era performance cars. It was also significant commercially, because it gave Jaguar a credible rival in the luxury GT segment and became one of the marque’s most recognizable late-20th-century models.