Jaguar, it seems, has always had a reputation. At least, since the 1970s. Remember the V12 E-Type that wouldn’t start in the 1976 movie, The Gumball Rally?
Of course you do. They just can’t get a break, can they? Tell any non-automotive person, and many gearheads as well, that you are thinking of buying a Jaguar and you are likely to receive a response approximately the same as if you announced you were going to jump the Grand Canyon on a Vespa. “Oh no! No! Good Lord, no! Don’t do it!” And that might well be the case even for a relatively benign vintage Jaguar–say, a 1999 XJ8 Vanden Plas. But if you really want to instill fear and loathing, and genuine fright for your personal and financial well-being, there is really no Jag worse than a ’70s V12.