Top Episode from late 1997. It features a test on the then new Jaguar XJR8 by Jeremy Clarkson plus a report on fake suspension arms being fitted to some Vauxhall cars.
That XJR is still fast by today’s standards, it’s very reliable and very good looking too. The only problems you get are rust and saggy headlining. Everything else is almost bulletproof
Yeah I can agree with that comment. Having owned a low mileage example for 5 years the only sad story is the headlining that sat on my head. I recently chased a B M W M 4 up the road and he wasn't getting away from me. Although admittedly I don't know how hard he was trying.
Rust and headliner, totally agree. But also fuel pumps can die. And the s/c has two of them, one of the for priming and higher revs. Great concept but not easy to fix. Having a Nikasil engine i never had trouble with it or with the tenioners. But uppers were replaced
@@dovic5201 After Market headliners are available in UK - I fitted one - approx 1hour out and 1hour to refit - just fiddly screw and fitting around the inside = simples --- old git, UK
...well yeah but this 1997 was a bit different to the old XJR...I've heard that apparently underneath the arm army dinner jacket it was still a rock star ...7:06. I mean it's just something I've heard that's all, but then again you probably think the person I heard say it was being silly ...7:28.
Sam money pit in that when they came out the engine had issues with plastic timing belt tensioners. Also sulfur in cheap petrol temporarily ruined the cilinder linings. They also suffer from rust. Other than that, if maintained they are pretty reliable but it’s a heavy and powerful car so it can cost ya. I have one from 98 and it’s never failed on me but only because I throw in approx 1500 $ every year for maintenance.
I used to drive one of those Jaguars many many years ago, its was a fabulous relaxing and luxurious place to be. It also had a very nice stereo system which did a splendid job of entertaining me when it had one of my jazz cassettes in place. Happy days
Great feature on the XJR8. Bought a 98 (R) last year for less than £1300 and it was immense. Spanked a few M-series Beemers, a couple of AMG Mercs and all for the price of a main agent service for them! These are a superb car, but like anything nearly 15 years old they can break and are very complicated with lots of fuse boxes and ECU's etc. Get one and keep your fingers crossed, you will not regret it!
@@haoyuan5 Well, Jezza(Jeremy, the presenter)meant that Jaguars, especially the XJR is so exquisite that you could simply overlook the lack of space for its exterior size and some minor issues it has, if you're worry about things like its space, you probably shouldn't get a Jag, because that's not the point, so things that's as plain as a field would suit people who can't appreciate the artistic factor of Jaguars, I know my explanation is kind of long, but I don't want you to miss anything
Blur, Pulp, Oasis, Robbie Williams, Underworld, Goldie, Tricky, Massive Attack, Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Portishead, Paradise Lost, ... they had the best of the best bands.
If you drive one, you will want one. XJR, XKR either one is great. I have both. But as an everyday car with room and a serious attitude. The XJR is the one to get
I had that happen to me in my h reg cavalier, it broke as i drove to work, had to leave it in some farmers driveway for a couple of days before i got it towed away.. Vert odd period in topgear history, it tries to be funky and appealing to younger viewers with its crazy camera angles, but also still gives very 1980s style consumer advice. Gotta admit though, loving the soundtrack they used for this episode!
Well, that was the point, Fifth Gear was Channel 4's (Or was it ITV, I don't know, I'm just a Canadian Anglophile) continuation of the Old Top Gear format, they even wanted to call it Top Gear. That's why it had Tiff Needel and other Old Top Gear presenters. Tiff and the rest went to do Fifth Gear while Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman went back to the BBC to create the new Format we know, love and miss so much.
Watched TG since the 80s and love revisiting these episodes from the 90s to marvel at the evolution of Jezza. Also hilarious how just 23 years ago 370 brake was considered colossal firepower!
i had a straight six XJR, it was like being in a video game. i didn't know you could do burn outs with an automatic. never knew what gear it was in either - silk.
Wow that was awesome performance for that Jag back in the mundane 90s. And looks great too IMO. Jeremy C hasn't changed his style - very distinctive narrating style but still a bit tiring to listen to after a few sessions. It just sounds like he is trying a bit too hard to be cool with his constant vocal inflections.
Nickasil linears are only ruined when 4 star fuel is used so buy a 2000 model registered after January as 4 star fuel was no longer available. I have a 2000 xjr with 120,000 on it no problems. Puts a smile on my face every time I use it 😀
my dad used to have one of the jaguar xjr's, although his was a more rare manual version. I can honestly agree with Jeremy when he says its bonkers fast. you really don't expect the speed and acceleration it gives.
The x308 XJ is one of the prettiest modern sedans ever made, only really competing against the Rapide and Quattroporte GTS. Especially a black XJR or a Sovereign or Daimler spec in blue with a tan interior. It still looks like a Rolls Royce alternative. Whereas modern Jaguars look like Nissan alternatives.
@@KrikkitWarlord unbeatable handling though, I've driven a 2008 boxster and it feels far more balanced and accurate than my dads mx5 and a friends 106 gti
@@iainmacrae6982 That's mid-engined cars for you - low polar moment thanks to centralised mass. Even with the shonky rear suspension (which is a very cheap Chapman type) it still manages to handle really sweetly.
I have a 99 XJR and it still blows the doors off most cars. The only normal production Porsche of the same era that could keep up is a 911 3.8 or a turbo, the latter being much faster, one of the fastest cars of the 90's.
There's original top gear with Tif needel, old top gear with Clarkson may and Hammond, then new top gear with 3 new hosts that I've never seen. Most people don't realize there was an actual 'old' top gear so call the older episodes of the new top gear show 'old top gear'.
Thanks, I'm looking at a black 3.2 local to me for a grand, hoping to run for a year without any major issues lol .. I've even got a great flat cap at the ready.
I maybe getting an XJ6 4.0 Straight 6 cylinder this week I have never had a straight 6 and definitely not 4 LTR! (from Ebay) which is never the best way to do it but buying a car this time of year is the best time.
I have a 2000 XJ8 and its a problematic car FYI... chain tensioners are bad, knock sensors are bad, ABS sensor also bad, had to replace transmission and breaks...
i miss this old, old Top Gear that was primarily a car show and not so much a comedy show. I like the new (but NOT the new new) Top Gear too but I miss the consumer advice of the original.
its 2017 and i have a 2001 jaguar x308 xjr silver exterior and solid black interior... i only take it out once or twice every two to three weeks. i wanna keep it forever and take it to car shows when im 50 years old loll and of course shes garaged! loll
I hear you but prices are ticking up so buy another sub 100K example as a daily driver while they are still 4 figures. I have a 1999 Black/Black XJR and I try to drive it sparingly but hey, life is too short. Like you I will never sell so if it's going to be with me a while I can probably find the time and money for an engine overhaul if/when the time comes. The Mercedes 5G Tronic transmission is near bulletproof if you change the fluid and filter every 60K or so. Enjoy your car, even a well used car can look great in 30 years, just don't drive it in snow of course!
Always loved these, would love to have one today, but they weren't exactly reliable even when they were new, can't imagine 20 yeas later. Seems like 1997 was the start of the 2nd horsepower war, this car came out, then Lexus came out with the V8 GS400, then BMW took everybody to school with the 1998 M5 BMW. Even American cars were getting pretty fast, 1st year for the LS1 in the Corvette with 350hp, could get the same engine in a $20,000 Camaro as well and run with those expensive sedans that cost 3 times as much.
By now all of the major problems have been corrected with upgraded parts easily available (water pump, timing chain guides.). Nikasil problems were caused by high sulfur gas that was phased out in the US in 2001 so any on the road today were likely unaffected. I have owned 4 X308s in total and currently have a 99 XJ8 and a 99 XJR. They are as reliable as any car I have owned and I have driven Acuras, Hondas, Nissans, Lincolns and Jeeps. I drive old Jaguars because you can get them for nothing compared to any new car and they are still more luxurious and smooth than most cars on the road. The XJR especially as it can still rip 5 second 60 runs and surprise a lot of people and that body style, the best looking Jag sedan ever IMO. I drooled over these as a kid and thanks to worries about reliability that are rectifiable I'm living the dream on the cheap! If you want one (or an E39 M5 for that matter) jump now before prices shoot up.
@@trannguyen5575 Glad to hear you've had good luck with your Jags. They are still dirt cheap, E39 M5's, at least here in the USA are getting pricey for low mile/maintained examples.
nvr expect legroom in a jag....mmm...just yday i was watching a friend of mine ..trying out thr latest flagship and it had really unblv less legroom ....he was sittting there like a pinched duck ..and i was like... such a loooong car... and such squeeze in the legroom space... what were they thinking ... it was like the ferrari of the seventies ... they dont realise that the old daddies who can afford their flagships are in their fifties and need generous space...lol
X308's are a pinnacle of automotive design. Call it blasphemous, but i would love to stuff a Mercedes M113K in an X308 chassis. That's my ultimate matchup.
I never got over the demise of the series 3 XJ6 all subsequent Jags have been mediocre in looks, not quite in the same bracket, Jaguar spent the next 20 years trying to make their cars look like series 3's and now we have a grotesque 'orrible shaped xfor x somthin or other. but nothing compares to the origonals .
Had an '83 XJ6 Vanden Plas in the mid-to-late 90's. LOVED every second I spent in that car. It spent a lot of time in the garage which was a bummer considering I was the only one of my friends with a car in High School. But it was still a cool experience to have had such an awesome car so young. It eventually rusted away when I left for college. Holes right through the floorboards. The engine only had 70K on it and it still ran great. But I had to sell her off for parts :( Some day I'll have one again!
Top Gear started to be insane when Clarkson gained conviction he comprehends anything from Monty Python whilst Monty Python is a little bit more complex one than exhaust pipe in Vauxhall which is exactly just like Clarkson's mind.
