I posted an elongated nose design earlier, and got some good feedback. So I stepped back and re-evaluated what I actually wanted to accomplish.

The XJS, to me, is an updated styling version of what the XKE was evolving into by the end of its production run. The XJS just stepped all the way into GT. Long, low, wide, with a huge hood. It had a more round-cornered rectangle shape than the earlier bulbous bodies. For a car designed in the early 70s, it wasn't until '86 when the Taurus brought river-rock styling to all car brands that it really stopped looking current.

I'm trying to remove the 5-mph bumper and restore an earlier nose design concept that still carried a lot of late 60s cues. Thinner bumpers, an open and un-obscured grille, and to emphasize the center section of the car by pulling the grille out at the bottom to establish a clear "mouth" that leads into the hood recess and feels like it extends just slightly from the fenders. Think '58 quad light Corvette or '62 Ferrari GT Berlinetta, or any number of cars from that period really. But the Jag is flatter, more square and sharper edged than anything from the 60s. I want to keep that. So no extended nose, no round openings, no full chrome bumpers, no cut bumpers.

I decided to try again, but keep any changes to a minimum. I want to be able to execute this myself. So I wan to keep the existing brightwork, and keep new parts to a minimum.

This design keeps everything above the rubber bumper strip original, reuses existing chrome bumper blades and a modified original bumper bar. The spoiler is OEM. All I have to fab up is three body panels and a grille. That grille is simply the existing design pulled forward and made parallel with the upper grille. This is much more like the design buck that was produced early in the XJS design process.


look at that lower grille!

I had been working off the illustration of the XJS that everyone is familiar with from the publications, just because it's familiar. I though it would make for a fair comparison of before and after. But those pics are black and white halftone that's been scanned. Pretty rough. So I re-illustrated it as faithfully as I could in a vector format, and then started changing things.

So, here is my nose mod plan. Three new panels, two splash guards ( lower corners ), lower center, new lower grill, flipped bumper blades, cut down bumper bar, and new rubber bumper strip.



Of course all of the versions of the XJS are perfectly fine, and lovely just the way they are! But when has that ever stopped anyone? Now, I'm off to fix actual problems with my XJS. All new ball joints, steering arms, bearings, steering rack boots and 1 more stub axle!

 

I like it. Still looks XJS and not over the top.

Good work

 

I agree with Cracker, it suits the original lines great

Cheers
Steve

 

Are side vents and lines too much for the XJS? This BMW 9 Series has some nice vent-line styling. I kind of want to see how that would work on older cars like the XJS. Maybe get a bodyshop to do front intake gilles (like an F type) in the blank space in front of the front wheels to purpose the deadspace, theres enough room in there once you remove or relocate washer pump, carbon cannister you could cram all kinds of filters or intercoolers in depending on what your doing.

 

Check this out

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/jaguar...-roar-pictures

 

It's good work, definitely. Understated, in keeping with its original design.
It's not something I would go for myself, however, as one thing I like about the standard design (until the later facelifts anyway) is that the area under the bumper is essentially not there. It is largely hidden by the bumper (and this is based on the normal bumper, and not those hideous US 5mph battering rams), which has the effect of making the car look even lower and wider than it is.
Have you considered using a mesh rather than horizontal strakes for the grill? Remove the bumper central section, maybe add something upright. Not sure how or what. Just a very quick suggestion. Probably would look silly....

There's something of the current Jags in this grill.

 

Different, and thank God for difference, it makes the world go round.

Not for me also, but I'm OLD and like the OE, to a point.

My alterations were more to keep Locusts, mice, birds, etc out of the radiators.

Then I liked it all of sudden, oops.