50 years Jaguar XJ

Jaguar is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its elegant luxury sedan, the XJ, with a stylish and supercharged new model called the XJ50. This nod to eight generations of XJ comes in long-wheelbase format and is powered by either a 340-horsepower supercharged V6, or snarling 470-hp supercharged V8. While the V6 model is available with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, the more powerful V8 is offered only in rear-wheel drive form.

Revealed for the first time at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show, the XJ50 is visually separated by the standard XJ sedan by having unique front and rear bumpers, a gloss black grille, special badges on the side vents, along with 20-inch alloy wheels with a gloss black diamond turned finish.

Four colors will be available: Rosello Red, Santorini Black, Fuji White, and Loire Blue. How something along the lines of British Racing Green didn’t make the cut remains a marketing mystery, however.

The XJ50 cabin is fitted with unique touches like an XJ50 logo on the front center armrest, illuminated XJ50-branded treadplates, diamond-quilted seats with the Jaguar leaper logo on the headrests, along with metal pedals and aluminum shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel.

“This is a car worth celebrating and the XJ50 pays homage to a giant within the Jaguar brand that we believe is one of the world’s most stylish sporting saloons,” said Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design.

While only the most jaded automotive Grinch wouldn’t enjoy a birthday celebration — really, who doesn’t like cake with their illuminated treadplates(?) — there’s a sense the XJ50 marks the end of the road for the brand’s long-serving luxury sedan.