A brief look at what might have been...
ollowing the introduction of the HE version of Jaguar's V12 engine in the early 1980s, sales of the XJS were riding high, in relative terms at least. This led Jaguar management to wonder whether any extra potential could be wrung from a Daimler version of the car. And so it was that this prototype model (which apparently still resides with Jaguar) was prepared, with traditional Daimler fluting applied to the front grille and bootlid escutcheon plate, and wheels borrowed from the contemporary Daimler saloons. But the biggest difference, of course, was the removal of the XJS's hallmark flying buttresses, making this effectively a fixed-head version of the XJS-C – similar in concept to the fixed-head coupe offered by Banham Conversions.
In the end the car never saw the light of day, as it was decided that the Daimler marque should be restricted to saloons and limousines. Perhaps memories of Daimler's last coupé offering, the awkwardly-styled SP250 (1959-64), also played a part in that decision...
Echoes of the past...
The story of the Daimler XJS recalls the fate of another car that might have become a Daimler coupé. The Ogle SX250, which made its debut at the 1962 London Motor Show, had been produced as a private commission, but the fact that it was based on Daimler's SP250 led to speculation that it would become that car's replacement. However, that option was ruled out by parent company Jaguar, who had other ideas for the Daimler marque. Thus, the SP250 was never replaced, while the Ogle SX250 went on to become the Reliant Scimitar...