Mine has had one from week 1 of ownership.

Never give it a thought anymore, its there.

The 2 S Types will get theirs when they get near the top of the "to do list".

 

I have two '95 XJS' and one came with the leaper and one without. The leaper is fitted right where the normal badge would be so does not compete with the badge and the leaper is not the over sized one.

I would not have put the leaper on myself but since the one came with it and was tastefully done I must admit it has grown on me and is part of the car.

I will agree that the hood badge that came stock on the '95 is rather boring looking being just one color and dark at that. I am considering putting the '96 on as it is much better looking.

So my vote would be if you buy a XJS and it is already on the hood and tastefully done then keep it on or not depending on how it works for you. If you do not presently have it then why would you want to take away the smooth look of the XJS?

No matter what please, please do not put the leaper on with the badge and or put one of those God awful looking over sized leapers on the XJS!!!!

Oh and that one that was mounted on the back portion of the hood-What the hell was that owner thinking? Might as well just mount it on the roof or the dash-LOL.

 

Perhaps it's because I never had a Lincoln Mark VII with the crosshairs that I kind of like the look of the leaper on the XJS. I can see the appeal of the growler, lower profile and sportier, but the leaper (for lack of a better word) just jumps out at me. I like it.

That being said, if I'd have bought that big cat from Coventry last year and she'd had a growler, I wouldn't change it for anything.

 

I think they look stupid and out of place whether factory installed or not; like the Afterthought they are.

They break up the fluid lines of any Jaguar newer than about 1966 Saloons and bring to mind visions of, well, husband advises me that I might not want to post that in public.
(';')

 

Oh gosh, another one of these topics....I guess the other 387 where not enough.....,

I really find it difficult to understand how people find a jaguar hood mascot-which stands as a symbol of continuity in all its Art Deco decadence-so offensive, yet they rarely say a peep about ill fitting aftermarket rims (which usually encompasses 99.9 of aftermarket rims) and dark "hood" window tint.....and they are very vocal about it too. Whenever I see some of those 18 inch chrome wheels and dark limo tint some people proudly display I politely move on to the next topic and not point out that your car looks like Sugge Knight and Kim Kardashian just threw up all over your vehicle in all their nouveau riche depravity.

IMO, The leaper suits the XJS design in the same way it suits the XK150 design. There IS a reason why a very large amount of both XK150's and XJS have added leapers in spite of being the "Sport models" and its not because the owners of those cars lack taste. It's because in both cases the design lends itself well to the leaper. The reason you rarely see an E type or XK8 with a leaper is because the opposite is true for those cars.

 

I hit the wrong button. DRAT!!
I think I'd better stop now before I get into even More trouble.
(';')

 

Leapers look great on the older xj6's and mk2's etc. I don't like them at all on later cars. To me they can look a bit abstract without the factory chrome centre trim and front grille that flow together with the leaper that make it all part of a classy feature.

 

Got to agree with that, mine came with the small leaper already on it. I think it suits the car(not so much the darker coloured cars). But I think they look out of place on the X-type, not so bad on the S-type.

 

The worst thing I saw so far was a Daimler Double Six with a Leaper above the D emblem on the grill... And it was for sale as a "Jaguar Daimler Double Six V12"

 

Had one on my 96 when I first bought it. At first, it's what I preferred, but after driving it for months, it began to take on a phallic look. This little "member" jutting out excitedly at the front of the car.

After a few more weeks, it was no longer tolerable. I ordered a growler and have not regretted it at all.

I'd buy that enameled version, if it weren't so expensive, but I'm not going back to a leaper.

 

A Limp one at that!

THAT'S what I didn't post before, I'm SO glad you did!
(';')

 

OK...
I.M.O. the likes of Cadillac, Rolls Royce, Mercedes etc had hood emblems "NOT" to impress the pedestrian or the other road users, but to remind the owner of what car he was driving and keep instilling the pride of the marque.
I have owned a couple of old cars with hood emblems and they were saying to me "your lucky to be part of the club" kind of rich/posh stuff...if you know what I'm trying to say. Modern cars can't really pull it off in the same way that a Rolls Silver Wraith or a Mercedes 600 could, and I certainly don't see the point of having an emblem on the hood that you can't see yourself.
Therefore I think leapers are wrong, wrong, wrong on XJS's and I also think that anyone who has a fixed one is disregarding the safety of the pedestrian, especially children, as its perfectly positioned to inflict maximum harm to small bodies.

A VERY BIG -1 FOR THE LEAPER

Photo-shopped my XJS to see what a clean front would look like without growler or leaper.....

 

I feel sorry for all of those people driving Ferraris. No pop up emblems on the hoods to remind them that their in some special club.

What about those poor souls driving a Noble, they probably forget what they're driving as soon as they pull out off the lot!

There are so many things wrong with what's written here, I will just have to leave it at that.

 

Spikepaga, I think you read my mind. I agree 100%.

 

But this wasn't a poll about window tints or aftermarket rims, which I agree most of those look just as stupid as a Leaper pasted to the hood.
(';')

 

No it's not, because we don't seem too keen on rehashing that topic of conversation 1000,00 times so that the same people can express the same opinions over and over and over again. I would not start a topic or poll with the specific intention of proving what poor taste you have with your tint or aftermarket rims or ""mods"" that I may consider gaudy, tasteless or juvenile -specially after it's been discussed so many times-and that is what this poll is---Perhaps I should start such a poll about tint or aftermarket rims ---wouldn't that be pleasant to the many that have those items on their cars.

What's worse is when motives start being attributed , like "oh they have the leaper because they want everyone to know what kind of car it is" -like the moniker is not clearly on the trunk for people to read what type of car it is.

But I get it. You don't like the leaper. That's great. No one is mailing one to you to put it on your bonnet. But some of us appreciate things that are sign of continuity with the past. Some of us, in this world of instability , constant change and unnecessary novelty, like things that give you a connection with what came before, ----and we think it fits there well,.... is that acceptable to the bonnet mascot gods here? I really don't understand how many times the same opinion can be expressed. Judging by the amount of XJS and XK150 cars with a leaping Jaguar in their bonnets a lot of people like how they fit there. As a matter of fact a lot of new XJ s have them too. I suppose they are all blind too-

Is it an anachronism? Perhaps it is but so is the watch I wear on my wrist. I don't really need it because I have a phone and an I pad that I carry around to tell me what time it is. The reason I wear it is because my father wears one, my grandfather wears one and my late great-grandfather always wore on as well. And should I ever warm up to the new Jaguar cars the first thing I will do is place a leaper on the bonnet.

 

Whew????


1. I'da never thought of the Leaper as resembling male plumbing!!!!


2. I voted yes. The loosing side by a large margin. Kinds the way my politicval vote seems to go.


3. Hood ornaments have rich history. Some quite famous and pieces of artful sculptured in their own right. Jaguar' Leaper is right up there with them. Dodge Ram, Packard swan, actually a cormorant, Buick's gun sight, Plymouth's Clipper, etc.


4. Wish my Jeep had one. Like the little critter in the Popeye cartoons.


Carl

 

I'm in the "no leaper on an XJS camp". Now, I like the leaper. Just not on the XJS. Mine came with both a leaper and a growler. The leaper had to go but I hated to see it go to waste so, with the help of a little PlastiDip, it became a Carolina Panther (our football team) and planted it on the hood of my Honda Element! So what do you think about that!?!?!?
Although I have told some "non-car" people that it's the new Jaguar SUV! They seem very impressed!

 

No leaper here. Always interesting to read the differing opinions. For me it just disrupts the perfect lines of the hood.

 

Just when I thought I'd seen it all!🙀