The Jaguar XJ has had a long and industrious career as one of the UK's premier luxury saloon cars, offering performance, style and effortless charm over many generations. While the current XJ has been a critical and commercial hit, the classic models are still revered by many in the motoring community.

The Jaguar XJ began life in 1968 and is famously known as the final model to receive the attention of company founder Sir William Lyons. The Series 1 XJ6 was made available with either a 2.8 lire or 4.2 litre engine and while the XJ is an undoubtedly up-market car, there was an even more refined edition added under the Daimler marque, given the regal title of the Sovereign.

A number of impressive inclusions were available on the first XJ, including things like leather seats and even power steering. By 1972 Jaguar had announced the introduction of the XJ12 which, as the name suggests, was endowed with a V12 engine, replacing the straight six units that had come before. This allowed it to hit 140 miles per hour flat out, which meant that Jaguar could market it as being the world's fastest four-seater saloon at the time.

The XJ entered its Series 2 phase in 1973, with a few aesthetic tweaks carried out to keep the car looking as up to date as possible. Unfortunately under the surface the XJs of this period suffered from unsatisfactory build quality, which did somewhat damage the reputation of these cars.

In 1979 it was time for the Jaguar XJ to receive one of its increasingly regular facelifts, with the Series 3 hitting roads and staying in production until the early 1990s. Jaguar was beginning to diversify the range in order to adapt the XJ to different markets and this would continue to result in distinctions between UK models and those designed for overseas buyers.

The long saloon body and twin headlight arrangement would endow the XJ series with an iconic look that remained intact right up until 2009. As such classic examples have become quite cherished by the enthusiast community in the modern age.