This is a very special car, devised by Jaguar’s Advanced Design Studio. Called the ‘Concept Eight’, it was built as a long wheelbase model, with the supercharged 4.2 litre V8 engine, and was unveiled at the New York Motor Show in 2004. External modifications to the car included a one-piece darkened glass roof, special 21-inch alloy wheels, and chromed gills on the front wings behind the wheel arches. Paint finish was in Purple Haze metallic, which showed black or cherry depending on lighting conditions.

However it was the interior and equipment which really set this car apart. The sumptuous individual rear seats, divided by a full-length walnut covered console, were upholstered in fine aniline leather, and passengers’ feet sank into inch-deep handmade carpet. The interior was lit by the warm red glow of LED lighting, creating a unique mood. The equipment included a pair of Waterford crystal champagne flutes, and an Alpine sound system with 14 speakers.

Truly, the Concept Eight embodied ‘new-fashioned luxury’.

The X350, so-called after its project code number, was introduced to the public at the Motor Shows in the autumn of 2002, and was the seventh generation of the Jaguar XJ saloon. It was the latest member of a family of cars that began in 1968, and by the time the X350 was introduced, over 800,000 cars had been produced of the six previous generations of the XJ. As the largest and most prestigious of three Jaguar saloons, the new XJ was an up-to-date version of a classic Jaguar theme, and the company’s flagship.

The new car included many advanced features, notably the all-aluminium unitary construction body shell, a six-speed automatic transmission, and an air suspension system with double wishbones front and rear. Styling and proportions were clearly inspired by its forebears. Despite this, the X350 offered considerably more interior room and boot space than any previous XJ saloon, while the aluminium construction helped to keep weight down.