This car is one of the last X-TYPEs produced in December 2009 and is a 2.2-litre diesel Portfolio Estate model with automatic transmission. It was allocated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust for preservation in March 2010. After a period of great expectation, Jaguar released details of the X-Type on 1st November 2000, and unveiled the new car in the metal to an international audience at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2001. The X-Type was the fourth and smallest member of the expanding Jaguar family. It was Jaguar’s first entry in the compact sports saloon market and the smallest-engined Jaguar for thirty years, since the classic 2.4 litre models of the 1950s and 1960s.

The X-Type had an innovative technical specification. It was originally fitted with a choice of two AJ-V6 engines developed from the engine already used in the S-Type. Power was 231 bhp/PS (172 kW) for the most powerful 3 litre, giving it a top speed of 146 mph (234 km/h). 2.5 litre and 3.0 litre X-Types featured the Traction-4 full time all-wheel drive system, which offered agile handling and sure-footed road holding. All models were available in Sport and Special Equipment versions.

The new car was built in Jaguar’s totally refurbished Halewood plant, located on Merseyside in the north west of England, the result of an investment of £300 million. As the X-TYPE went into full production, it contributed to a substantial increase in annual sales to over 120,000 cars. After only two years, 100,000 X-Types had been built. With the expanding X-Type range, Jaguar aimed to reach a new and different group of customers.

The original 2.5 litre and 3.0 litre models were followed in 2002 by an even more affordable 2.1 litre front-wheel drive model, still with a V6 engine. During 2003, two further versions were introduced: a four-cylinder 2.0-litre Diesel derivative with Jaguar’s first-ever Diesel engine, and an Estate Car which similarly was Jaguar’s first production estate, launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2003.

In 2007 a major facelift was launched at the Motorexpo show in Canary Wharf, London. This added a 2.2-litre diesel to the line-up with an optional new six-speed automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift.