Avon-Stevens | Lynx | Others

From coupe to convertible

Only one XJC model was produced in the series 1 design. The car is today located in Australia.

The XJC is distinctive as well as sporty.

The donor car of the XJC convertible – the XJ Coupe - were announced at Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1973. It was planed that the coupe would be available the following spring, but production was delayed due to problems with side-windows sealing, and the XJC did not emerge in quantity until 1975.

The XJC is a two-door version of the short-wheelbase (SWB) XJ saloon. With no pillar behind the door to break the line, the side is completely open, when the windows are lowered out of sight. On the XJC’s roofs were finished in a vinyl trim, which added to the sporty appearance. The XJC is a very graceful stylish car, no wonder the coupe was a favorite of Jaguar founder Sir William.

From 1975 to 1977 just 10.467 two-doors where made. The official excuse for discontinuing the model was that the XJC was the only model to retain the original short wheelbase.

The aggressive looking XJC V12 BroadSpeed.

XJC race
In the mid 1970’s, British Leyland took Jaguar back into race. The man behind the venture was Ralph Broad (BroadSpeed) who had previously run a successful team of Triumph Dolomites for Leyland.
The factory fielded two XJC’s known as the BroadSpeed Coupes. These cars where very aggressive looking with widened body panels to accommodate wider tires and specially constructed 550 hp Broadspeed V12’s. The Broadspeed cars were extremely fast on the tracks often setting record qualifying times but due to reliability problems, utter failures in terms of racing wins. At the end of the 1977 season the racing program was abandoned and the cars were retired to the Leyland Historic Vehicles museum. Later racing coupes, such as the Hannah V12 coupe, have been quite successful once the initial problems of the car were worked out.

Missing link or blasphemy – make your choice. But the ultimate XJC, the converted is for sure incredible good looking.

XJC becomes open
Turn the clock back to 1978. Businessman Martin Brazil wanted to buy a British high-class open car. The Aston Martin was too small inside, the Rolls-Royce too big outside, so he went to see design consultant Tony Stevens of Warwick.

A thriving Volvo agency, and a reputation for body repairs of all kinds, were not quite enough for Graham Hudson owner of Ladbroke Motor Group and Avon Bodies Ltd. Then one day, in walked Tony Stevens; he put down a Corgi model on Hudson’s disk. “Can you make that?” he asked. It was a Jaguar XJC two-door with the roof neatly removed. “Done” said Hudson.
On Christmas Eve 1978, Martin Brazil bought himself the car of his dreams, the first XJC convertible. Since then a estimated numbers of 30 car where converted by Avon-Stevens, Lynx and some garages in France, Germany and US.

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The XJC standard colours – body paint and trim
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