I have always believed that a "sports car" should have a manual trans. In my opinionJaguar missed the mark by not offering a manual in the XJS. It is so much more fun to drive a manual. Does anybody know anything about swapping a manual into these cars? I have a 1990.

 

Try this guy. He has kits but they are pricy.

http://www.thedrivenman.com/

 

i'm pretty sure every Jaguar XJS had the option of a manual specification ?

maybe not the original V12 though

however , the XJS is no classed as a 'Sports Car', it is a GT ( grand tourer ) , though undoubtably has performance and sporting pedigree , it was not sold as such

BB

 

Early V12s had a four speed manual option and all 6 cylinder cars, but surely it would be better to change the car not the gearbox? It would bea huge task and costed realistically, would cost more than the car is worth. Personally, my V12 is perfect with auto and I wouldn't want to lose the smooth,seamless flowof power that Jaguar intended.
Michael.

 

About 350 V12 XJS were built with the 4-speed manual before the option was dropped around 1979/80, never to reappear.

Yes, as far as I know, the 6 cylinder cars were always available with a manual transmission. Sadly very few made it to North America. About 50 of the 3.6 cars and around 200 of the 4.0 facelift cars.

Those who have made the conversion with the DrivenMan kit seem to simply rave about how happy they are with the results and claim its worth every penny. I myself have thought about getting another XJS and making the conversion. I guess it's, realistically, about 25 hours of labor when all is said and done.

Others have saved a lot of money by sourcing all the bits and pieces individually and some clever mix-n-match of components.

As for costing more than the car is worth, well, true enough....the market value has always been very low on used Jags. That just means you get a terrific road machine for mere peanuts and can afford to splurge on some extras

Cheers
DD

 

Keep in mind what you wind up with. A facelift car is cheap for what you get. A great suspension, leather , wood, a smooth ride etc.
I was going to originally upgrade a camaro of the same vintage and after driving that scrap, went with the JAG. Its a much nicer car to deal with and classic great looks.

My nly beef with the XJS is that parts are hard to come buy and very expensive. The price of exclusivity!

 

Agreed on what you get for the money with used Jags. From that perspective they are the biggest bargain on the market and worth the extra attention that some of them might need.

When I bought my XJS I was actually looking for a TR6. I soon realized that with an XJS I get three times the car for half the money.

I bought my 1995 XJR three years ago with 30k miles (yes, just 30k!). Supercharged, leather, all luxury gizmos, limited slip diff, ABS, traction control, terrific Jag suspension and brakes, great styling, 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds and 155 mph top speed....for $10k. What else can you buy for the same money that even comes close? Heh heh...you can find nice XJRs for even less than that now, of course.

Disagree on the parts bit, though. I never had any problem getting parts and thought they were pretty reasonable as far as "foreign cars" go. Of course you don't findJag stuff "on-the-shelf" at every corner parts store but you can get whatcha need in 1-3 days usually.

Cheers
DD

 

I am aware that the XJS is a luxury touring machine, but it also has sports car pedigree just by virtue of the fact that it is a Jaguar. I just know what I like and I like to pick the shift points myself and enjoy the act of shifting manually. I also have a 95 BMW 525i with a 5 speed manual and I love driving that car because it is so much fun to run through the gears. I would also guess (I have not tried it) that it would beat my xjs V12 in a race from dead stop to 60 MPH with a 6 cylinder motor. I also KNOW it would beat a comparable 525i with an automatic. You just get better performance from a manual car. Don't get me wrong I love my XJS, I think it is one of the best looking and coolest cars ever produced.

 

The XJS has alway been touted for its luxury qualities but "back in the day" Jaguar boasted about its power.....because back in the 70s-early 80s it was one of the quicker cars on the road.

As the years went by and the XJS lost its competetive edge the advertising starting leaning more and more strongly towardsthe "personal luxury" type image. "Accentuate the positive", as the old song goes.

For years Jag had a reputation for building cars that were luxurious and fast. They lost that for quite a long time and pushed the whole "elegance" angle so much that I think everyone forgot what Jags were supposed to be about. And I think that hurtthem in the marketplace.

Anyhow, enough rambling....

The XJS can be made to perform very well, and its built for it. Most owners drive 'em as though they were made out of glass but, really, they're built like a tank, the V12 will tolerate any sort of abuse except overheating, the brakes are great, and the suspension is so good it just needs a couple tweaks to really make a difference.It doesn't take much to give them a bit more assertive personality with very little sacrifice in the "luxury GT" department. Itsan ancient car, of course, withancient technology, but still a very satisfying ride.....with the extra bonus that you don't see yourself "coming and going" every time you drive !

Cheers
DD

 

Well put! What are some of the suspension mods you refer to? I would like to tighten up the suspension some. I also want to get a few more horsepower. What are the most economical ways to do this? Thanks

 

I added a rear anti-roll bar (3/4" I think), Boge sport shocks (very firm!), cranked in some extra caster to the front alignment....and it was like driving a different car.

Don't do anything to the engine until you are sure its already running as well as Jaguar intended...many are not

Low restriction mufflers, opening the air intake, Superenhanced ECU, a/c compressor cut-out, modified trans kickdown, 2500 rpm stall speed converter, and a shift kit. The ECU and trans modifications made the most difference.

Cheers
DD

 

Hey Doug,

I'm thinking your car was a coupe, so I'm sure your suspension mods were an improvement.

I'm not so sure that stiff suspension is quite as beneficial on a convertible. One of my customers brought some stiffer shocks for me to install, and my perception was that the cowl shake was worse as a result. It makes sense to me that insufficient torsional rigidityof the chassis becomes more evident when you reduce compliance at the corners.

Mandy, I wouldn't contemplate anything else unless you already have a set of quality tires on the car first, and that the stock suspension is in good order. Worn steering rack bushings at 40K, upper wishbone bushings at 60K, are common examples of XJS faults which make the car unresponsive.

 

Agreed on all points and, yes, mine was a coupe.

Convertibles are for girls !!

Cheers

DD

 

Now you did it Doug, just had to make a statement to make me question your judgement! My wife thought the same thing too, but has yet to pry my keys to my convertible from my cold, dead body! Thinking about using it for a coffin when my time comes!

 

Heh heh. Just kidding, of course.

Whenever I see an XJS convertible there's an image that pops into my head: a well heeled andextremely attractive woman, not-quite-50-ish, with tennis bracelets and impeccably dressed, sophisticated but not snotty, pulling up to the country club and flirting with the valet as she exits the car, and.....

Well, you get the idea

Cheers
DD

 

Now we're really talkin'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfFRQ-StpwA

Cheers
DD

 

Yeh, seen that one, love it. Actually, I do notice all the ladies looking at my car while I'm driving it, but, I really know their looking at me instead of the car. At 61, I'm still quite the babe magnet, don't you know!

 

I agree, shifting manually is more fun, but, I'd question that your going to get more preformance out of a manual than an automatic, if its in good shape, and you can always build, or have it built for more competition. Check outnearly all drag racers, and you'll find automatics. You'd be hard pressed to shift faster than an automatic also. My 95 XJS has a sport slector for better shifting. As far as your BMW outrunning you up to 60 MPH, OK, but, what about after 60 when your Jag is just begining to breath. Not sure, but your BMW probably weights a good bit less than your 4000 pound XJS. I think all the preformance mods listed would be a worthwhile project.

 

Those who have made the change report dramatically improved acceleration. Its not so much a matter of shifting speed; its the gear ratios and lack of torque converter losses that make the difference

Cheers
DD

 

doug, you hit the nail on the head. only the most modern automatics (dsg and the like) can offer performance as quick, and in many cases, even quicker acceleration than their manual conterparts (example, the new Caddillac CTS-V).