Photo: XJ40.com
For those of you who didn’t knew, Jaguar had a previous attempt in the past to make a successor of the iconic E-Type, but due to some problems and bad timing, the car never made it into production.
In 1980 Jaguar was developing a true successor for the E-type. It was supposed to be based on the XJ-S and wear the name of F-Type, while known among the engineers as the XJ41 (coupe) and the XJ42 (roadster).
Then, Jaguar faced some problems and had to postpone one of its other models, the XJ40 which meant that the F-Type concept was abandoned for some time and its launch was delayed to late 1988.
That meant that the car had to be upgraded in order to face the concurrence. Hurrying things up to make the car ready for the market, Jaguar fitted the XJ41/42 with 4-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six engine, a four-wheel drive system and a more complicated suspension. The changes generated a much complex and heavier concept car that got too far from the early ‘80s prototype. Still, three units were fully finished and despite their overweight body, managed to exceed 274 km/h (170 mph).
More changes to fit in the market made the car too complicated and too expensive to be produced and the concept was forgotten, until a young designer known as Ian Callum modified it and used it to make the Aston Martin DB7.
Source: Aronline
Then, Jaguar faced some problems and had to postpone one of its other models, the XJ40 which meant that the F-Type concept was abandoned for some time and its launch was delayed to late 1988.
That meant that the car had to be upgraded in order to face the concurrence. Hurrying things up to make the car ready for the market, Jaguar fitted the XJ41/42 with 4-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six engine, a four-wheel drive system and a more complicated suspension. The changes generated a much complex and heavier concept car that got too far from the early ‘80s prototype. Still, three units were fully finished and despite their overweight body, managed to exceed 274 km/h (170 mph).
More changes to fit in the market made the car too complicated and too expensive to be produced and the concept was forgotten, until a young designer known as Ian Callum modified it and used it to make the Aston Martin DB7.
Source: Aronline
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