An unfortunate coincidence with the fuel crisis, of 1975, the concept of a high performance 2+2 seater that only delivered 14 mpg was not in keeping with the times. Nor did it fit into Jaguar’s image, being in no way a successor to the E-type sports car, or a spacious sedan. The first five years after its introduction were ones of poor build quality, which again didn’t help and in 1980 manufacturing of the XJS was halted for a few months. The newly arrived John Egan decided to persevere with the car, though, and the HE mode with high compression heads and improved flow returned a much better consumption figures of up to 20 mpg. Sales jumped from a low of 1199 in 1981 to 4808 in 1983, all the way to 9537 in 1987.
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