Against competitors like the Corvette, Porsche, Datsun, and Camaro, this Group 44 Jaguar XJS took first place in the 1978 Trans-Am Category 1 Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championship.
Jaguar had first debuted the XJS to tepid reception, but ultimately decided to enter the vehicle in the Trans-Am series in an effort to increase sales in the United States by using the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” strategy. In 1976, American driver Bob Tullus was given an XJS, and the following year, he won the Formula One Drivers’ Championship with it.
When the XJS was acd-dipped and further modified for racing in 1978, it won seven of ten races and took home the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.
