YOUR CARS: XJS

In addition to being a JDC Director, Andrew Martin is also an Ambassador for the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust and it is with this hat on his head, he currently has custody of OOM 555R, the Trust’s Earls Court display car

To call this very special XJ-S a ‘Your Car’ – i.e. mine – is not strictly accurate because it belongs to the JDHT, however, this year I am lucky enough to be driving around in it. The Jaguar XJ‑S was officially launched on 10 September 1975, however, pre‑production examples were shown to selected motoring journalists in May that year, with the public debut coinciding with its unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show later that September.

The Earls Court Exhibition Centre London Motor Show in October 1975 marked the British public launch of the Jaguar XJ-S and it was one of the show’s major attractions. The display car was an early right-hand-drive example, finished in a special metallic gold paint, later, in 1977, to be registered OOM 555R.