Phase One – 1972-1975: A New Jag Generation. We examine the landscape within Jaguar as the initial XJ40 concept coalesced.
XJ40 underwent several distinct phases in its path to production, the first of which began with the 1968 launch of the XJ6 saloon, a car upon whose shoulders Jaguar would unknowingly place the next 18 years of its existence. The XJ was a superb car, its excellence the sum of several factors. The careful honing of proven hardware, a gifted development team, Jaguar’s V12 engine, and the appliance of stylistic genius. It would be the pinnacle of Sir William Lyons’ vision but as a new decade dawned, it was necessary to plan for its successor.
Product planning had previously been a nebulous concept at Browns Lane, amounting to whatever Lyons wanted done, to the exclusion of much else. During 1972 Jaguar management began scheming a replacement to the XJ, set to launch in the latter 1970s. Like all experimental Jaguars it was given an alphanumerical project code; the original XJ saloon designated XJ4 and its replacement would be known as XJ40.
Since 1968, Jaguar sat at the pinnacle of the BLMC car giant’s portfolio, but Sir William continued to run Jaguar as absolute leader. Despite maintaining a board of directors, he took most key decisions himself, but due to a combination of failing health and BLMC policy he stepped down in March 1972.
Lyons set up a small design studio around 1969, but his interest waned as he prepared to take leave, thrusting engineering chief, Bob Knight into the role of de-facto styling leader. Knight, a brilliant conceptual engineer but no stylist, was compelled to marshal a cohesive styling team from scratch, with little more than a vague methodology from Jaguar’s enigmatic founder.
Doug Thorpe was appointed to manage the new studio, remaining Jaguar’s most senior stylist until 1984. Two men would carry out the bulk of the preliminary styling work. Chris Greville-Smith, who would later join Austin Rover, and George Thomson, who subsequently joined Land-Rover. The longest serving Jaguar stylist was Chris Holtum, who ultimately became head of interior design. Other notable figures who would contribute to XJ40 included Roger Zimrec, Cliff Ruddell and Keith Helfet. Standing on the shoulders of a styling giant, this small team got to work, amidst a lot of trial and a great deal of error.
Studies for XJ40 were initiated in late 1972. Earlier that year, the XJ-S’ visuals had been frozen for production, and unsurprisingly, its influence was keenly felt – initial XJ40 styling studies featuring a similar frontal treatment, incorporating the surfacing and flattened wing crown line that would define the controversial GT’s shape.
Much of this was the work of Doug Thorpe, but despite looking quite promising in quarter scale, the team’s inexperience showed as they struggled to successfully enlarge it. As work progressed, the characteristic rear quarter haunch was altered in favour of a more linear form language. This revised layout progressed during 1973. Knight was determined this proposal would be seen by BLMC’s Lord Stokes and John Barber in the best possible light, and one bright October morning, the full-sized styling model was presented outside the Browns Lane Experimental shop. Now it was up to BLMC’s managerial double act to decide…
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Driven To Write 
Regarding British Leyland and previously Leyland Motors, have always wondered who would have been a much more suitable alternative to Donald Stokes as chairman of both companies given the latter was essentially a salesman?
The received wisdom is Joe Edwards, MD of Pressed Steel.
Later on, Peter North. Ex-Ford and McKinsey CEO of Leyland Australia in the P76 era. He was offered the top job at Jaguar, but was certainly smart enough to see just how bad it was going to get, and ran for the hills.
By most accounts, he was head and shoulders above the bums and placemen who succeeded Stokes. A colonial, untainted by the direness of British manufacturing industry, was what was needed,
it took until the end of the ’70s before they found the right one.
Always had Joe Edwards down as being a better alternative to George Harriman at BMC in a scenario where BMC and Leyland Motors remain separate companies.
What about other candidates such as John Barber? Surely Leyland Motors pre-merger had better alternatives to Donald Stokes possibly within Standard-Triumph.