Nostalgia. With the Jaguar X300, Ford is set to take on Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

In July 1990, Jaguar’s new boss, Bill Hayden, who had just been appointed by Ford, came straight from Detroit for his first visit to Browns Lane. When he gets acquainted with the condition of the Jaguar factory, he is amazed: the equipment is in a dilapidated state, the workers lack motivation, and producing a new model here can only be done at the expense of huge investments.

After years of no money, things must change. Well, Ford is ready to pull out the checkbook.

Changing the program

At the time of the takeover, Jaguar produced three series: the XJ40, XJ12 and XJ-S. The product plan further envisages the XJ41/42 and the XJ90, an unprecedented sports car intended to replace the XJ40 sedan.

After an audit of Jaguar’s performance, Ford concluded that the sports project, far from racing standards and very expensive, was a “huge disappointment”. XJ41/42 production discontinued.

As for the XJ90, it’s a big deal: it replaces the best-selling Jaguar XJ40 sedan. Several prototypes have already been created with V12 and V8.

When Ford arrived, the project was reconsidered. Engineers propose to take the XJ40’s center section and transfer the nose and tail of the XJ90 project to it. Jaguar X300/X308 is born!

A great performance

In September 1994, the car was ready. Admittedly, this is a reworked XJ40, but to achieve the quality required, Ford has invested £110 million in new production facilities at Castle Bromwich and Browns Lane. The development cost of the X300 project itself was £90 million between 1991 and 1994.

At the time of its debut, its predecessor, the XJ40, suffered from numerous reliability problems, which once again damaged Jaguar’s reputation for reliability. On the design side, the style is deliberately retro. Appeal to designer Geoff Lawson from Ford.

Retro design

The X300’s retro styling was a risky move compared to the modernity of a Lexus, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. However, the X300 will be the first Jaguar to benefit from computer-aided design. Due to the quality of production, it is also a plus for consumption. This will increase the fuel tank capacity from 86 liters to 81 liters.

Inside, the Jaguar has received all the codes expected of a British car, with plenty of wood and leather. A real success.

A suitable engine

At the end of 1989, Lexus launched its first car in the United States. The LS400 debuts with a 32-valve, 4-liter V8. For Jaguar engineers, the level of mechanical sophistication achieved by these eight-cylinder Japanese is a real shock.

“In keeping with the tradition that mechanical approval can only be achieved using six and twelve cylinder engines, they couldn’t believe it. To make matters worse, the Lexus engine was much smoother and more economical than the four-liter Jaguar. reminds brand historian.

The engineers went back to work and completely overhauled the inline engine to get 245 horsepower and more torque.

Honorable career

To challenge the BMW M5s, Jaguar will even offer a 322-horsepower supercharged XJR and a 313-horsepower V12 version. To drive the point home, a long-wheelbase version of the X330 will also be released.

The X300 will sell 92,038 units and annual production will be around 30,000 vehicles. Be the X308 with an upgraded V8 and a new box, adding 126,260 copies in this form. Not enough to allow the brand to go back to green.

In 2008, Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Indian manufacturer Tata without ever bothering BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Lexus.