USDM (USA) or EDM (European)? i wanna hear your opinions!

i honestly prefer the USDM headlights. unfortunately somebody swapped the headlights in my car.

perhaps someone would be interested in a trade?

 

I prefer the 4-lamp system.

Don't laugh but, to me, the Euro-style lamps make the front of the car look like an insect from a 1950s horror movie! Silly, I know, but that's what I see when I look at one

Cheers
DD

 

I too prefer the 4 light system, the Euro single lights look like a frog from the front.
I'm stuck with them till I can find the others at the right price.

 

please remember that the XJS was designed with the euro headlights, and the only reason for the quad headlights was US car regulations, no other country have the quad system fitted



however, for a sporty look , i agree , they are quite nice

but i still prefer the original Euro look

this is my fully restored Jaguarsport XJR-s in the UK


1816 by MyPix

BB

 

4-Lamp setup is the best looking. I never liked the euro look headlights.

 

Ribbet.

That's my red car. I considered changing the headlights. I generally prefer the 4-round when looking at photos of these cars, but in person it doesn't matter to me. Up close and in 3D the headlights are just a small detail and take nothing away from the overall impression the car makes.

I believe our sponsor SNG Barratt USA has a conversion kit??? And a discount for forum members (I don't mean to play favourites. Maybe jagbits, for example, has them too).

Greg

 

If your car originally had euro's then I would stay with those.

 

Correct.

I have always preferred the original Euro lights and seen the 4 light set up as a ugly compromise that makes the car look too American muscle...it's euro all the way for me ...,...........

Unless it happens to be a coupe in that old English white color that has a hint of cream..For some reason the quads look excellent to me on those cars.

 

+1, the wings and bonnet were not sculpted to take round headlights.

Keep it real, keep it original.

Just my 2 pennies worth. Your car, you do what you think is right.

 

From my perspective I like both set ups but that being said the 4 headlamp system makes the car look older to me. Being use to seeing the XJ-S growing up in America I was use to seeing the 4 headlamp system so I equate the 4 headlamps with the older XJ-S. I like the fact that my 1995 came with the euro style because to my eye it fits the car better and makes it look more modern but I have seen the facelift fitted with the 4 headlamp system and it looks good also.

I like the fact that we have a choice and that you can do either without damaging the body of the car. It just comes down to personal choice. The thing I think affects the overall look of the car as much as anything is the wheels that are on the car. The older 15" wheels on the XJ-S to me really dates the car but at the same time I do not care for the look of the facelift 6.0L wheel or the 1996 celebration wheel as both make the car look less sporty. Again this is just a personal thing but I have always felt the factory 5 spoke chrome looked the best and I also like the honey comb wheel that was available in the early 90's. I have not seen very many after market wheels that looked right to me on the XJS.

 

Brake buster, the Euro lamps look great on your white car with the black trim. Really sharp. That said, go quad or go home

 

lol

but i think you have hit on something,

its down to the condition of the car, and the colour/trim ,


but most of all , personal taste , this is mine, but its not right or wrong, just my taste ,


and all us Jag owners have great taste to start with , lol

so you can go Quad or Euro , as its all good


BB

 

Cool thing about the XJS, you can make it look like a muscle car (4-round) or sporty or a luxo-GT depending on headlight, paint colour and wheel choice.

 

" Cool thing about the XJS, you can make it look like a muscle car (4-round) or sporty or a luxo-GT depending on headlight, paint colour and wheel choice."

I agree. I have always thought the dark colors fit the XJS very well. Makes the car look sleeker to my eye. Strange enough though I really like the off white color on the car as it just gives it a certain elegance. The one color I think Jaguar missed on with the XJS is the gold that was used on the car. Jaguar used a very dull gold on the XJS and the ones I have seen that were painted this color from my perspective did not help the look of the car at all.

We all have different taste so nice to have a car that was made for so many years that most of our taste can be satisfied with a stock car to start. The one thing that I really do not like seeing done to the XJS is when someone puts like 22" rims on the car and tries to " bling " it out. To me it just makes the car look silly and takes away from the sleek stance the car was designed to have. I say if you want to take a older car and " bling " it out stick with the older Buick's or Oldsmobile's and leave the Jag's alone.

Maybe we can put together a bumper sticker that says something like :

" NO NEED TO ADD " BLING " TO A CLASSIC "-lol.

 

The prefered style of the headlights is of course a matter of personal taste.
However I think our taste might be influenced by what we consider to be original. I noticed that americans usually like the quads better and denote this as the original look (quad headlights are original equipment in the US), while Europeans usually prefer the euro style for the same reason.
I prefer the looks with the euro style headlights. In my opinion it suits the car better.
I think of the xjs as of a distinctive timeless design and those euro style headlights helps it stand out among zillions of cars with quad headlights (european, japanese and american cars of that era had them).
The headlights don't define the character or looks of a car but it surely helps.
Although I prefer the euro style headlights I must admit both styles look very good on the xjs. And depending on the rest of the outfit sometimes the quads look much better than the euro's. (like with chrome bumpers and wire-wheels)
Like earlier said it is one of the tools to give your car a classic look.
just my opinion

Bo

 

Wires and quads on mine.

 

Golds are tricky.

From memory Jaguar used two golds on the XJS. Coronet Gold and Sovereign Gold. I'd say both are a bit rare....and that's probably just as well

If the link below works you'll see Coronet Gold. And in the attached pic you'll see my old XJS which was the Sovereign Gold. That color wouldn't have been my first choice but it eventually grew on me.

http://images1.bonhams.com/image?src...&autosizefit=0

Cheers
DD

 

I, too, prefer the quad-lamp look; it think it adds some dimension and interest to the face of the car. Mkii250 makes an interesting point in changing the "character" of the car based on the wheels/paint/headlights. My 87 XJSC is black on Magnolia with the 15" Starfish alloys and the quad lights. This car looks much more aggressive to me than another one I was looking at, blue on blue with Dayton wires and the Euro lights. I was actually surprised at how different the 2 cars seemed.

 

Doug, do you know if Jaguar used a third gold on the facelift XJS ? The photo of your XJ-S gold looks more vibrant then what I have seen on say a 1995 XJS I looked at. Just seemed like the 1995 I looked at had more of a brown tone to it.

 

I dunno.

In the mid-90s jag had a color known as 'Topaz' which some might say has a gold-ish tint to it. I'd say more of a very light metallic beige. It was a light color, very non-descript in my opinion.

Cheers
DD