Jaguar

In September 1975 the Jaguar XJ-S was presented as the successor to the legendary E-Type. The design and development had begun in the late 1960s. Originally developed using the platform of the XJ saloon, the XJ-S was noted for its prominent rear buttresses. Power came from the Jaguar V12 engine with a choice of manual or automatic transmission, but the manual was soon dropped as they were left over from V12 E-Type production. V12 powered production automobiles were unusual at the time; Italian luxury sports car makers Lamborghini and Ferrari produced such models. Jaguar launched the XJ-S in the wake of an oil crisis, when the market for a 5.3-litre V12 grand tourer was small. Nevertheless, a final production total of 115,413 units over three distinct generations was realised in just over 20 years.