Hey all, my friend has a 1995 x300 and my other friend just got a 90 BMW 325is that is stick shift. When our friend with the x300 saw this, he wanted stick shift really bad. Just wondering did they make the x300 with manual transmissions? If they did, does anyone have one and how are they? Compared to the autos? sport wise? Thanks

 

Yes, they did. Not very common, but they are out there. None were ever imported to the USA, though. You'll have to go to other parts of the globe to see one.

Cheers
DD

 

Alright cool, thanks!

 

You think Jaguar would have imported the manuals here though, cause if I recall the X300 is a "sports" luxury sedan. Especially with the 4.0 litre engine..... That thing would be mean with a manual transmission. Anyone know how much it would be to convert it? lol :P

 

There's a guy in tennessee that makes manual transmissions for XJS V12's, the five-speed variety of which retails for around $5,000, but they don't work for the AJ16 engines, which are fitted to the X300's. The problem being, the ECU's in X300's are not flash memory ECU's, and a team of car computer geeks are having extreme difficulty trying to trick the ECU to ignore the lack of signal from the auto trans, to keep the check engine light from coming on, and most importantly, to keep it out of limp-home mode. The only plausible solution I can think of is to find an original X300 with the manual transmission and just buy it, or if it's a salvage vehicle, take the trans out and just swap it, or go for a complete motor/trans swap. I was hunting for the longest time for a way to put a five-speed into my XJR.

 

forgot to mention this gentleman's name,
The Driven Man
thedrivenman.com

 

Let me just say that it's damn pimp you're in Texas , Can't wait to move there! An x300 with Texas plates and windshield stickers is awesome!

These cars are awesome, and I just wish they had the manual trani, be so much more fun. If I won lotto or had a lot of money, I would look for the motor and trani and swap it. Did you end up getting the 5-speed in there?

 

no, unfortunately, I never did manage to get a 5speed in there. If I could ever bring myself to do an LS1 swap into a series III or something I would put some kind of GM 5speed with it for sure. But earlier I did have a fresh rear diff put in my XJ6 and it feels so much better now and the automatic is atleast bearable.

and hell yes I love my texas plates. :]
where abouts are you moving to?

 

Awww, well hopefully eventually you'll come across one and you'll be able to swap it. Every time I think about it, I can imagine it would be so much fun going all crazy and fast (where safe) with the jag and flying through gears. It's still damn fun with auto but the stick would be the final touch. Yeah I hear ya, with the new diff!

I'm hoping to move out to San Antonio REAL soon. But i'm waiting to get enough money saved up. I'm so over Cali and it's getting way to expensive to live here. Every time I see a car here with Texas plates I just want to jump in and have them take me back with them lol

I tell all my friends, the day I get my Texas license will be one of the best days of my life, i'll have a Texas sized grin

 

beautiful. I've got a second cousin in san antonio. I think manual transmissions are superior regardless anyways. it kills me to drive an automatic every day. every day I dream of chirping third gear on the freeway in my XJR; it would be paramount. If Jaguar had thought about it, and not designed their cars strictly with 65+ aged golf players who enjoy luxury sport, we'd have more manuals around.

 

Its not so much the design of the car. It was the design of the marketing :-)

At the time, the XJR was actually a somewhat bold departure for Jaguar, where the connection to power and speed had been slipping away for years. Marketing ....especially USA marketing...had become biased towards luxury and elegance and, truthfully, Jaguar didn't have a competitive "performance image" product for some time.

Anyhow, even in markets where the manual transmission was available very XJR/6s were ordered with them...maybe 200 (?) out of 6500 built.

Cheers
DD

 

shame on consumers!