One could point to a number of car designs that represented the turning point where foreign automakers began to outshine Detroit in the late-60s and early-70s. The first-generation Jaguar XJ strikes me as particularly important.
Although the Jaguar didn’t sell nearly as well as the Mercedes-Benz in the U.S., its iconic styling helped to give cachet to luxury sedans much smaller than Detroit’s usual fare. The XJ was roughly the size of a compact Dodge Dart.
I would go as far as to say that the XJ is the granddaddy of contemporary luxury sedans. Today, pretty much all prestige sedans mix luxury with sleek styling that in the early-70s was largely the province of sporty coupes.
The XJ began this trend with its relatively low “coupe-sedan” greenhouse, a wide-track stance and a somewhat boat-tailed rear end. The overall look was athletic while still being elegant.
The leaping Jaguar hood ornament did an unusually good job of embodying the XJ’s basic sensibility.
Jaguar comes up with iconic styling on a limited budget
What is particularly remarkable about this Jaguar is that it came off so well despite budgetary limitations. Perhaps the biggest one was that the XJ did not initially have curved side glass even though its use had become widespread in the auto industry by late 1968, when the car was introduced.
Also see ‘1961-70 Jaguar Mk X: When Hudson step-down met Wienermobile’
Flat glass may have contributed to the somewhat retro shape of the XJ’s side sheetmetal sculpting, which carried a toned-down version of the pontoon look of previous Jaguars.
Another XJ design weakness was the taillights, which were interchangeable left to right. To make matters worse, on some XJs reflectors were tacked on below the taillights. That was unfortunate, because the unusually rounded rear end could have been greatly enhanced with more form-fitting lights.
Jaguar eventually makes XJ more like a normal sedan
The XJ’s interior added to the car’s uniqueness. Whereas American luxury cars of that time deemphasized driver involvement, the Jaguar did the opposite. Instead of a front bench seat and lots of idiot lights on the dashboard, the XJ had buckets, a center console and full instrumentation.
Of course, this was similar to Mercedes-Benz sedans, but one thing that set the Jaguar apart from its European rival was an old-English vibe, with lots of wood.
The XJ’s coupe-sedan shape arguably made it more stylish than any Mercedes sedan. However, one downside was that rear seat wasn’t terribly spacious.
Jaguar responded to complaints by boosting the car’s wheelbase four inches and giving the greenhouse more of a squared-off shape in 1979. At that point the XJ also received curved side glass and flush exterior door handles.
No one has fully recaptured the original XJ’s magic
The XJ didn’t sell all that well, perhaps partly because the cars suffered from quality-control issues. However, the Jaguar clearly influenced American designers. For example, the 1970 1/2 Chevrolet Camaro mimicked the XJ’s headlight and grille treatment, as did the 1976 Chrysler Cordoba.
I don’t think that anyone — including Jaguar — has ever fully captured the original XJ’s sensuousness. Subsequent generations carried over some of the basic styling cues, but they weren’t executed with anywhere near the same flair.
That may partly have reflected the goal of giving the XJ a normal amount of room for a luxury sedan. However, Jaguar designers also seemed to have gravitated away from organic shapes even when they began to make a comeback beginning in the 1980s.
So oddly enough, the car that pioneered the luxury coupe-sedan effectively abandoned it before that niche came into its own.
NOTES:
Specifications and production figures from Gunnell (2007) and Wikipedia (2023).
RE:SOURCES
- Gunnell, John; 2007. Standard Catalog of Jaguar, 1946-2005. KP Books, Iola, WI.
- Wikipedia; 2023. “Jaguar XJ.” Page last edited Sept. 5.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcarbrochures.org: Chevrolet Camaro (1970); Chrysler Cordoba (1976)
Not to take anything away from the 1969 Jaguar but the 1969 Mercedes 280 SE was a very impressive automobile; beautiful, terrific build quality, great presence. Yes, the Jaguar has a feminine, lithe, beauty about it. Both cars are appealing, beauty vs. brawn.
I believe that Delorean stated that he looked at the British for his inspiration to have woodgrain in GM interiors, certainly while he was at Pontiac. One would suspect that Jaguar was the major source of that inspiration.
As for the XJ6 being the inspiration for the front ends of the Camaro RS and the Cordoba that is maybe more tenuous. The timeline for the Camaro gets a bit questionable when one considers the design development time that would have stretched back to about 1967. With GM more of their inspiration typically came from the Italian houses. As for the Cordoba maybe yes, maybve no for the inspiration of their own interpretation of how to MOPAR a Monte Carlo or Grand Prix.
Design inspiration is a real hard item to pinpoint without specific knowledge from those that were actually in the process. Ford and Chrysler hired designers that wanted to leave for one reason or another GM. That would provide insight into what GM, the acknowledged design leader in Detroit (GM refused to hire those who had been at Ford or Chrysler during this time). There is also a possibility that the inspiration came from student that was seen at the design colleges, particularly Art Center. Then there were the big international auto shows like Turin and Geneva where all the senior executives attended. Not to be missed was Style Auto the Italian publication that would have documentation of studio development of some cars. The inspiration can come from anywhere and may not even be something consciously done by the designer.
Without a doubt, the XJ6 was a great looking car.
Tom Peters, a designer who came to GM in 1980 and worked on subsequent Camaros, told Hagerty (go here) that the 1970 1/2 Camaro RS’s split bumper with large eggcrate grille and inset parking lamps was inspired by a number of Ferraris, but he also thought it showed some influence from the Jaguar XJ.
I knew Tom Peters at Art Center and therefore know that he did not go to GM until 1979 or 1980 so whatever he says about the 2nd generation Camaro design development preceded his arrival. Not to say that stories about the development were not being told by others.
Here is a first hand account from someone that was in the studio. https://www.deansgarage.com/the-camaro-kammback-story/ He talks of a timeline starting with the summer of 1967 and that the RS nose was already happening. Was it already established in August? Don’t know but would speculate that it was at least within a few months of that.
Now, there are other Jaguars (420G) within this time period that could have had some inspiration, if they are even the source. One might try to look further back and look at the one-off 375 Ferrari of 1954; although stretching that far back in time might be a stretch. http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Detail/0355AL.375Ameria.htm
The ’65-’69 Corvair gives up nothing in styling comparison to your examples, even as a beautiful 4 door.
These years of Corvair were not North American design exceptions. The prowess of North American design of that time is shown in GM’s ’66-’67 Buick Riviera Riviera and Olds Toronado, which were also wonderful by any measure, albeit not 4 door models.
About the headline of the article: don’t forget, Europe also produced the, er…. interestingly designed Ami 6 (which was likely more reliable than the Jag)!
Welp, I’m talking about foreign cars sold in the American market. Did Citroen try very hard to bring the Ami 6 into the United States? At any rate, picking some extreme example sidesteps my larger point — that Detroit styling was being eclipsed by foreign automakers. The XJ reflected the future of car design far more than its U.S. competition of the late-60s and early-70s.
For example, you point to the Riviera and Toronado. While they were nice period pieces, I would argue that neither were such timeless designs that they influenced the automotive world for decades like the XJ, which essentially invented a new market niche (the luxury sport coupe-sedan).
The second-generation Corvair was lovely, but what influence did it have on future car designs? In addition, the Corvair did not reflect anything like the mainstream of American car design — it was an outlier.
Note that the story mentioned how the XJ didn’t sell particularly well, perhaps partly because of quality-control issues. The focus of the piece is on styling.
The mainstream luxury European sedans in the late 60s, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Rover, when introduced were noted for the limited rear-seat foot room, which prompted all three makers to offer stretched more-expensive long-wheelbase versions. My boss at WIBC-AM / WNAP-FM, Indianapolis, drove Jaguars and Volvos, but at 6-foot, 4-inches, the original XJ-6 was for him tight. When the Vanden Plas long-wheelbase model arrived, he bought the longer Jags and was quite content ! There was even a back seat cubby for the Grey Poupon !