Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - The alternative offer

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - The alternative offer

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Created on November 28, 2025

Text:

Martin Sigrist

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv Automobil Revue

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Jaguar Cars

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - The Spider in its first configuration with dark paintwork and over-twisted and polished original Jaguar GKN "Kent" rims

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - Premiere at the Birmingham Motor Show in October 1978

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - The resemblance to the Jaguar E is intentional

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - The roll bar was a concession to safety thinking in the USA

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - The interior does not adopt any elements of the original XJ-S on which it is based

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1979) - Connoisseurs and enthusiasts hope for a small series - Geneva Motor Show 1979

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - Brighter paintwork and different rims than at the premiere

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - The shape appears to have been cast from a single mold and some observers were convinced that the car could have gone into series production like this

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) The rear is made of moldable plastic

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - View of the dreamlike interior - Geneva Motor Show 1979

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - View of the interior - 42nd Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2025

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - Concept car with flowing lines - 42nd Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2025

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Jaguar XJ Spider Pininfarina (1978) - could have been the successor to the E-Type - 42nd Auto e Moto d'Epoca 2025

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Jaguar XJ-S (1975) - JVC 481N was already available to the press in the summer of 1975 and influenced the not only positive initial reactions to the XJ-S

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Jaguar XJ-S V12 (1975) - View into the engine compartment

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Jaguar E V12 (1972) - Harry Mundy and Walter Hassan with their V12

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Jaguar E V12 (1972) - on the banked curve

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Jaguar XJ 12 5.3 Series III (1979) - now with rubber bumpers, new rear lights and modified roof area

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Jaguar XJ-SC V-12 Convertible (1986) - from July 1985 no longer manufactured at Tickford, but at Jaguar in Browns Lane

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Sigma Grand Prix (1969) - large-format phantom drawings by Theo Page show the interior - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Pininfarina 'Sigma' (1963) - Security vehicle, shown in Turin 1963

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Pininfarina Sigma (1964) - Seats with headrests - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Pininfarina 'Sigma' (1963) - Security vehicle, shown in Turin 1963

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Pininfarina Sigma (1964) - Sliding doors as a safety plus - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Pininfarina Sigma (1964) - Upholstered steering wheel and telescopic steering column to provide more occupant protection - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Jaguar XJ 12 PF (1973) - publicity shot by Pininfarina

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Jaguar XJ 12 PF (1973) - shown for the first time at the Paris Motor Show - the Pininfarina variant for the big Jaguar - here as a sketch

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Jaguar XJ42 (1988) - The convertible as well as the coupé XJ41 were rejected by Jaguar owner Ford

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Aston Martin DB7 (1993) - See-through drawing

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Aston Martin DB7 (1996) - an elegant automobile to this day

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Jaguar XK180 Concept (1998) - Jaguar designer Keith Helfet was inspired by the D- and E-Type, the basis of the functional concept car was an XKR

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Summary

The name is deceptive; it was not the XJ but the XJ-S grand tourer based on it that served the Turin-based company as the basis for a roadster designed for safety at the time. As an alternative to the underperforming XJ-S, the car might have had a chance, but Jaguar lacked the will - and the money.

This article contains the following chapters

XJ-S criticized
Own ways
Other ways
(Another) missed opportunity?

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Ever since the Sigma projects for a road car in 1963 - the car is now owned by the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne - and a formula racing car in 1969, which was created in collaboration with Automobil Revue, passenger safety has been an important topic at Pininfarina. The Turin-based company not only presented spectacular concept cars, but also tried to integrate serious safety aspects into their designs. The Jaguar XJ Pininfarina presented at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1978 was very much in keeping with this pattern. In line with the prevailing belief that the open-top car would no longer be legal in the USA, the car had an integrated roll bar.

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