The 1986 Jaguar XJ - also called Project XJ40 - was intended as a replacement of the Series III XJ model that was launched in the late ’70s.
However, several external problems - including the fuel crisis - kept the XJ40 inside the development series until the mid-80s. The design of the new model was made in-house. It was finally launched in 1986, aiming to rival the BMW 7 Series on the upper premium sector. It was initially offered with a wide range of 6-cylinder engines, while later receiving a new V12 unit (on the long wheelbase version) towards the end of its production cycle.