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Who Is CountIng ...

TONY BROWN WONDERS WHAT IS HAPPENING AT JLR CLASSIC AND WHERE THE HULL COLLECTION IS New ZealaNd assembled XJ6s ... IT IS BARELY KNOWN, BUT OVER 1500 SERIES 2 XJS WERE ASSEMBLED IN NEW ZEALAND. HOW MANY CAME TO AUSTRALIA?

Buy and sell ... PRE-LOVED JAGUARS AND PARTS WHICH ARE OFFERED FOR SALE AND MAY BE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR on the ProWl ...

HISTORIC IMAGES AND PERSONALITIES OF INTRIGUE IN JAGUAR'S LONG HISTORY ...

Cover Pic: The XJ Jaguar hearse used for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II brought huge international publicity to the marque.

The Queen gives Jaguar a free kick ...

Queen Elizabeth was very good to Jaguar and Daimler, and always showed great interest in both marques which came under the same ownership early in her reign. I was disappointed though when Jaguar Land Rover put out a standard and not very detailed statement expressing its sadness at her passing. It could have mentioned she knighted Jaguar's founder and Chairman in 1954 and was a frequent visitor. Ahh well, I guess that is the corporate world.

However, in her final act for Jaguar, Her Majesty reportedly codesigned her own hearse four years before her passing. It was a new X351 Jaguar modified for her by Wilcox Limousines, and was front and centre on television and every form of media wherever her funeral was shown or covered.

The car looked sensational and was perfect for the very sad occasion. In a business sense, for Jaguar it was a very welcome publicity winner, Her Majesty's coffin having been transported through Edinburgh in a Mercedes-Benz to general criticism.

It is now well over four years since a totally new Jaguar model has been introduced. That was the I-Pace which was well received, but there has not been a Jaguar press drive event in three years, and as a consequence the marque has fallen off the general publicity radar. That has never happened to it before in a very competitive market, and it seems it will be several more years before the first of the allelectric new Jaguars appears in showrooms.

Therefore, the valiant XJ hearse provided an unexpected but very welcome dose of free publicity, but is something Jaguar has not mentioned or shown on its media website.

What the XJ's contribution to the Royal funeral highlighted is just how much the XJ is missed from the range, and while not a big seller compared with Jaguar's SUVs, it occupied a vital niche. Why could it not have continued on once its 2020 replacement was dropped shortly before its own revelation? It would have provided the marque with another arrow which is now missing from its proverbial bow. I don't wish to seem critical of Jaguar Land Rover, but it would be untrue if I declared I was not worried for Jaguar having to endure years of genuine inactivity in the public domain. So thanks to Queen Elizabeth for having chosen a beautiful XJ hearse for her service.