Jaguar XJ-SC Cabriolet

When we all become millionaires, we’ll buy ourselves Jaguar’s 12-cylinder XJ-SC Cabriolet.
Actually, one need not be a millionaire to buy the $44,850 car, although a few millionaires doubtlessly have bought one . . . or two. Or three.
Cabriolet found out to be the most impressive car in Jaguar’s line.

The Cabriolet is the open-air version of the Jaguar XJ-S two-door coupe. Everyone seems to fall in love at first sight with the Cabriolet; it has a unique top that makes it look racier than the coupe.
“The XJ-SC Cabriolet is a very special car for Jaguar because it’s our first open two-seater since the last E-Type (sports car) was produced in 1974,” said Graham Whitehead, president of Jaguar Cars Inc.
The Cabriolet isn’t a convertible. Rather, it has two rigid, fabric roof panels that can be removed and stored in a trunk pocket – and a canvas rear top section that can be folded down.

The car looks best with the panels and rear top section in place. In open-air form, the roll bar, side rails and rear-quarter windows remain in place and look a bit awkward.
Leave all the top components in place if you wish to be chic in a Cabriolet. But then, you miss the fun of open-top motoring.
Such motoring can be done comfortably because the Cabriolet’s roll bar adds chassis rigidity, which eliminates typical open-car rattles. The Cabriolet has virtually none.

Also, one can drive with the open top and converse normally without drafts because the side rails and rear windows stay in place.
“The typical Cabriolet buyer is the type of person who usually buys a Jaguar, but he’s older and wealthier,” said Mike Cook, national Jaguar spokesman.
“The buyer usually is male, in his high 40s and earns well over $100,000 a year.”
They’re buying an exclusive car. Only 500 of the approximately 4,800 XJ-S models Jaguar will sell this year in this country will be Cabriolets.
Mention “Jaguar” to most, and they think of the lovely, $36,300 XJ6 sedan. Not many are familiar with either the $39,700 XJ-S coupe or Cabriolet.

To understand the Cabriolet, you must know about the XJ-S coupe.
The coupe was introduced in 1976, but didn’t really become a hit until 1972, when it was given special cylinder heads and a plusher interior.
One reason Jaguar enthusiasts didn’t welcome the coupe was because it had an almost impossible act to follow – the sensational Jaguar E-Type sports car.

The E-Type, often called the XK-E in North America, was introduced in 1961 with incredibly sleek styling and a 150-m.p.h. top speed.
The car went downhill in styling and performance after 1967 because U.S. emissions and safety laws caused its horsepower to drop and its lines to be ruined with such items as clumsy bumpers.
The last E-Type was nowhere near as racy as the 1961-67 six-cylinder E-Types. But it was fairly slick, with a convertible top and 12-cylinder engine.

The XJ-S, which succeeded the E-Type, got the engine, but not the convertible top.
The XJ-S always has been a four-seater, but the Cabriolet was designed from the beginning as a two-seater.
Indeed, the Cabriolet is the biggest two-seater on the U.S. market. The 102-inch-wheelbase car weighs a hefty 4,040 pounds.
The weight and 262-horsepower V-12 work against good fuel economy. The government estimates the car gets 13 m.p.g. in the city and 17 on the highway. I averaged 13 during an even mix of city-highway driving. The car’s bulk also works against you if you try to drive the Cabriolet like a trimmer sports car. However, steering and handling are a cut above average. High speed cruising stabililty is excellent, and the ride is one of the world’s best.

Acceleration is quick (0-60 m.p.h. in 8.5 seconds) with the turbine-smooth, 5.3-liter engine. But it is hooked to a General Motors three-speed automatic transmission that, along with “tall” gearing, doesn’t allow the car to accelerate as quickly as it should.
The interior is plush, with the delicious smell of leather. But some controls aren’t conveniently located. The conventional speedometer and tachometer look OK, but the other “roller-type” instrumentation looks out of place and is hard to read quickly.
In all, the XJ-SC Cabriolet is the kind of car one would expect a sporty millionaire to drive. And to enjoy.