What's that driving?
06/20/2025
Erlkönig photos were as much a part of the automotive press landscape of the 1970s to 1990s as the road tests and motor show reports. Bunte" in Germany often had a good nose for where camouflaged cars could be found and how they could be identified.
In April 1984, for example, pictures of a new limousine were distributed to the press.
Pictured was the forthcoming "Jaguar XJ-40".
Under the title "Die sanfte Katze" ("The gentle cat"), "Bunte" wrote:
" The Jaguar XJ-6, which has been built almost unchanged since 1968, will probably appear in a completely new guise in March 1985. Its type designation: XJ-40.
During test drives in Australia, the magazine "Bunte" discovered the almost uncamouflaged prototype. With a drag coefficient of 0.34 cw, the new luxury saloon will be as streamlined as the Mercedes 500 SEC.
A remarkable feature of the English saloon: a single large windscreen wiper in the style of the Citroën CX, as well as a windscreen that merges seamlessly into the sheet metal. According to the magazine 'Bunte', the English are nevertheless endeavoring to give the newcomer the typical Jaguar face: the Jaguar grille will be flatter, but will retain its old shape, and the dashboard will continue to feature fine walnut wood.
In future, customers will have the choice between two newly designed six-cylinder engines: either a 2.8 liter 175 hp engine or a 3.6 liter 228 hp engine with four valves per cylinder.
According to 'Bunte', the most powerful version of the new Jaguar should be able to reach a top speed of 230 km/h."
Well, it was not until October 8, 1986 that the new saloon was officially unveiled. And, as we know, it looked like this:
We already published a driving report on the XJ40 some time ago.
