Minneapolis Street Sighting: Jaguar XJ-S H.E

I love classic Jaguars like nobody's business and to prove it, I've shot a few Mark IIs, a Mark IX, a couple early XJs, and one lucky E-Type/XK-E; there remains a question as to what defines a car as classic, and this is where my opinion shifts from the socio-norm of what defines a classic car. To many car enthusiasts, a classic is a vehicle that is significant in some way, shape, or form, and a vehicle that will likely have an impact on vehicles to follow, or likely had impact on the auto industry as a whole.

To me, a classic car is defined as those, but also a vehicle that I don't see as much around my parts; so does that mean I go around shooting every older car? Absolutely not.  I only shoot what interests me; and that's where these Jaguar XJS' come in. I know many Jaguar enthusiasts don't like these XJS--but I do. The series ran from 1975 to 1996, when the aging (but still good-looking) coupe was replaced by the XK8--which hasn't aged very well in comparison.

This is an H.E model, which debuted in 1981; among other "niceties" and tailorings for the US market, it came with a supposedly more efficient V12--and a boost in power. Not that it was needed really. No one thought the XJS were sports cars by any means---if anything, the XJS is a really nice grand touring car--not unlike the current XK lineup. Unlike today's XK lineup, however, the XJS really had no hardcore model. Only the TWR model,  which wasn't really available for mass consumption.

So why do I like the XJS? I have no idea--I've always been drawn to them, and its probably due to nostalgia factor; this is the first Jaguar I recognized, and whenever I think of Jaguar, this is the first one I think of. And that will stay with me till I die. That alone is why I adore the XJS.

This is example is dead-on perfect; fluid black paint, no pitted chrome, and even the questionable alloy wheels are still intact. I couldn't find a single thing wrong with this XJS. I love these, and I don't think I've seen a nicer one around.

 While black is a fairly boring color, it does make or break cars; this XJS certainly wears the color with pride, and I don't recall seeing another black one. The interior on this is something I can't comment on; I don't remember anything about it, unfortunately.

I still enjoyed shooting this--and I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing these.