If it carries a genuine Jaguar part number and came in genuine Jaguar packaging then I'd say it's a genuine Jaguar leaper. Not aftermarket.

If it's an imitation, not sold thru Jaguar, no Jaguar part number or packaging....it's aftermarket




Not aftermarket, as they're genuine Jaguar wheels sold by Jaguar under a Jaguar part number for use on Jaguar automobiles.

Cheers
DD

 

cool

so we have established that the leaper is not an aftermarket product, as there is a leaper made especially for the angle of the XJS bonnet ( hood ) and sold by jaguar ,though they may no longer be directly available ( just like the XJS its self )

so now its down to personal choice,
no right or wrong,
just personal choice ,

BB


who has a leaper and a growler and a full length bonnet chrome strip from new
( and a genuine Jaguar Factory fit sunroof in his 89 coupe ) lol

 

There is/was? An XJS-specific leaper? Really? Under an official Jaguar part number?

I must say that this is the first I've heard of such a thing ....but, then again, I make no claim to having the Jaguar parts catalogs memorized.

I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild, so to speak. Every leaper I've seen on an XJS looked entirely wrong in terms of fit/angle/mounting and general aesthetics....although I agree that the aesthetics aspect is down to personal taste


Cheers
DD

 

yup , lol

I have a brand new one in the Jaguar packaging at home that I have never fitted

as you say , most ( but not all ) leapers fitted are diving towards the ground and are not leaping ' level ' ........the correct one does ,

I will did out the part number when I get home from work

BB

 

Perhaps the issue can be settled this way:

A leaper on an XJS might not be an aftermarket item but it certainly is an afterthought item....as evidenced by the grotesque, out-of-place, 'tacked on' apperance!

Does that help ?

Good, I'm glad we all agree !




(Running for cover!)


Cheers
DD

 

lol

I must confess, I have not fitted the leaper or the full length chrome strip to my newly painted bonnet , just a matte black growler

I may get a second bonnet, paint it up and fit it with all the trinkets fitted, as it was when I bought it ,

I will see if I can did out the picture of the day I got her

but as ever, each to his own......


BB

 

Although I think they're especially bad on the XJS, in fairness I'll say that I actually don't like leapers on any Jaguar at all.....ever....so I'm already jaded before the subject of "XJS leaper" even comes up. IMHO they're just a silly, unneccessary adornment that detracts rather than adds to the style.

Jaguars don't need little gimmicks to look good! They're already gorgeous.


Cheers
DD

 

To be clear, I mean no offense or insult to any leaper lovers who are in attendance. It really IS just a matter of personal taste or style. Certain things just strike a nerve with me, that's all. Another example, for me, is fully grown adult men who wear their baseball caps backwards! Arrrrgh! That's just silly for anyone over the age of 19.

Presumably everyone here has their own 'strikes-a-nerve' objections to this thing or that.

Cheers
DD

 

Doug, got to agree with you on the baseball caps but think the max age should be 12, not 19. My 'strike a nerve' is people driving in the fast (passing) lane one the highways.

 

Yup, that's another nerve striker for sure!

How about the people who enter the freeway/highway at a pathetic 40 mph when prevailing traffic is going 70 mph?

Cheers
DD

 

I'd read that "leapers don't look right" on the XJS because they look like they're leaping down, but mine seems level. I don't know if it's because it's the placement (seems to be the right place) or if mine is actually a different style. I'm new to the Jaguar game. Anything's possible. I always thought they were a trim level thing - just like the Lincoln gunsight.

My "rage button" is people who pass on the right, while we're on the topic, even though I've been guilty of it - usually in situations where it's the only reliably safe maneuver.

 

Passing on the right is necessary at times, especially after following someone traveling in the fast lane at or below the speed limit.

 

I pass on the right all the time. I do it only because dumb boneheads have rendered the *passing lane* useless because they use it merely as another driving lane to putt-putt along in, oblvious to what's going on around them!

Cheers
DD

 

There are two separate colours, bronze and gold. The growler up to your (and my) model, was always bronze, not gold. The gold leaper was fitted, I believe, to certain specially trimmed models, but not until later years. Bronze is original for an 1985. The gold growler looks good with some colours, but is not original for the 1985 model AFAIK.

Greg

 

Amen to that Doug!

 

What strikes a nerve with me, are forums and everyone thinks they have a right to their opinion..... Kidding of course
This is "MY" car
This is what "I" like best

 

Always liked the looks of the pre-facelift coupe, but I just had to have a drop top.

 

I love my leaper! Looks right at home to me.

 

If jaguar makes a Leaper for an XJS it is definitely an afterthought as they never left Browns lane with one installed, that being said neither did an XJ6 series III IIRC but that doesn't mean jaguar doesn't produce one for it because as far as I know they do for that car. Xk's unlimited makes an XJS specific one on a round platform to fit where the growler goes but I'm also with Doug on this one......looks horrid on the XJS and worse yet on the XK8, but that doesn't stop people from doing it.

 

well , here goes

putting myself in the firing line, lol

this was how my car was the day i bought her, receipts showed this was all fitted by the original dealership from new , not your usual setup either, and i have only ever seen a few like it, and only in pictures apart from my own

i have not reinstated the leaper and strip , though i did think of blacking it out and fitting it?

Jaguar 016 (Medium) by MyPix on Talk Photography

this is not the leaper that fits over the growler mountings, its another version , but the fixings will fit......

Jaguar 015 (Medium) by MyPix on Talk Photography

Jaguar 013 (Medium) by MyPix on Talk Photography

ten years later and a full resto she looks like this

IMG_1923 by MyPix on Talk Photography

BB