I am looking at purchasing a 1991 XJ6 Sovereign. My question is why do some models have the hood ornament and others do not. Does it depend on the specific year, model, or ??? I have looked all over the web and can't find anything. The vehicle in question does not have the leaper, but I have seen other 1991 models with the hood ornament. Were these added on by the owners, or a separate option from the dealer? Thanks for the help.

 

I can't give you an exact answer on this , mine didn't came with the leaper either . I bought a spring loaded one for my ride .
However , my first ever Jag came with the Series III leaper on it
As far as I know , UK vehicles aren't allowed to use leapers the reason behind this is they might kill pedestrians if they hit . This is just rubbish .

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the Leapers were an option on some models. I'm restoring a 88 XJ6, it did not come with a Leaper, but the replacement bonnet (hood), not aftermarket, came drilled for a Leaper to be mounted. I've spoken to the Parts dept manager at Jaguar of Tulsa about this and their parts books do not show a specific Leaper the the car. I've seen both 5" and 7" Leapers on XJ40's both VDP's and Soverign's. I opted for the 7' Leaper after asking about this on the forum and reading the posts.

 

My understanding is that no car left the factory with a hood ornament. These were added, as an option in some markets, by the dealerships. They seem to have been quite popular in the US. I've even seen some new XJs and XFs with leapers, which somehow doesn't look quite right on the new style Jaguars. My '91 has one, which is a tasteful touch, methinks.

Cheers,
Scott

 

No Jaguars were factory equipped for the US market until the 1995 XJ Sedan. The early Sedans from the 50s were the last until the X300. All leapers on other cars were installed by the dealer or owner.

I actually had to install a leaper on a 1995 XJ-S when I worked at the dealer. I tried to talk the lady out of it but she was insistent.

bob gauff

 

Thanks for all of the insight, and knowledge! That helps a lot!