How Corporate Infighting Killed Jaguar’s V12 and Saved the XJ40

Jaguar’s XJ40, the second-generation XJ sedan, nearly became a V12 flagship—but internal power struggles at the British automaker scrapped those plans. The car’s prolonged development, marked by financial turmoil and rivalries among executives, ultimately led Jaguar to rely on the older straight-six engine instead. That decision, born of corporate backstabbing rather than engineering strategy, may have saved the company from a costly disaster. Industry observers note the XJ40’s troubled birth reflects Jaguar’s broader struggles with quality and insolvency during the 1980s. The V12’s cancellation underscores how boardroom battles can reshape automotive history. Jaguar’s survival hinged on pragmatic choices forced by infighting, not vision. The XJ40 went on to become a critical, if flawed, success—proof that sometimes dysfunction delivers results.