Jaguar
XJ41 prototype (targa coupé)

Why it matters

The XJ41 was the targa-top coupé version of the planned XJS replacement, which the press called an "F-type". The programme combined Jaguar concept work with detail design and tooling by Karmann, and was cancelled in 1990 after Ford took over Jaguar.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Work on an XJS replacement began in the early 1980s, coded XJ41 (targa-top coupé) and XJ42 (convertible). Test mules used XJS and XJ40 underpinnings, while the new body-in-white was designed by Jaguar and detailed and tooled at Karmann in Osnabrück. The AJ6 engine, launched in 1983 in the XJS Cabriolet, was used with new front and rear suspension; the rear was later changed to a modified XJ40 design.

Karmann built three running cars: a black coupé, a silver car and a red convertible. The car gained weight as variants multiplied, covering normally aspirated or turbocharged engines, rear or all-wheel drive, manual or automatic gearboxes and both body styles. After positive customer clinics in 1988, Ford, which bought Jaguar at the end of 1989, put quality of existing cars first and cancelled the programme in 1990.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust – 1988 Jaguar XJ41 Prototype Level A

   • 1 JDHT prototype

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1988 Jaguar XJ41 Prototype Targa Top Coupé Level A Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust

   • Karmann built three running cars
   • The AJ6 engine ... was used together with new front and rear suspension systems

   Accessed 2026-11-12