Jaguar XJ Convertible. Really.

Newport Convertible Engineering has chopped the top of the Jaguar XJ and delivered a Jaguar XJ Convertible. The conversion costs £30,000.

You do have to ask yourself if the world wants a Jaguar XJ Convertible. Not just an XJ Convertible, but a long wheelbase XJ Convertible. Instinct says no, a convertible XJ is a bad idea.

But then we considered cars like the Rolls Royce Phantom DHC, a glorious car that is very special to drive. And it looks very good too. So maybe it’s not a bad idea after all. But then we saw what Newport Convertible Engineering – based in California – has created.

We’ve no wish to be unkind to Newport, but the XJ they’ve taken the top off does look like a garden shed creation. The roof itself looks like it’s been nicked from a pram designed for Hagrid, the roll-over hoop looks like it’s come from another car and been made to fit, and the arse  – the most controversial part of the XJ – looks simply awful.

Instead of making a statement, the XJ Convertible just looks…odd.

Newport have tried to do things properly, with a decent roof with three-layer construction – a suede headliner, a layer of foam insulation and canvas from Germany.

They’ve used aluminium sheeting and tubing to make a box frame inside the rocker panels to try and keep some stiffness, and they’ve bolted an aluminium platform in the boot to support the roof gubbins. Finally, they’ve bolted on that roll bar to save heads and try to hold the sides together.

It’s probably as much as an after market provider could do, but it’s all a bit Heath Robinson-looking. Now if the XJ – which is one of our favourite cars – has been engineered by Jaguar to have something like the roof from the RR DHC, stowing flat and perfectly beneath a teak deck, we’d probably have seen the point – and the market.

But like this? Sorry, guys. Your Jaguar XJ Convertible really doesn’t float our boat.

Jaguar XJ Convertible Video

 

Source: Newport Convertible Engineering