Continental trip and leaper mascots

[lordk]

After all the advice and feedback on this forum (and other sources) I have recently bought a 2001 XJ8 3.2 Sport, and very happy I am with it too, having just returned from a 3000 mile European "grand tour", taking in France, Italy and Switzerland.

Jaguars are very rare in mainland Europe, and I was constantly being complimented on the car, especially in Italy, where kids and petrol pump attendants (saw a lot of them, stragely...) drooled over it in a very Italian way, asking to sit in it and be taken for rides round the block.

Anyway, most of the people asked where the leaper bonnet mascot was and I have to say I've been thinking about getting one fitted. I've seen a few XJs with them fitted (and I think they look great) but Jaguar obviously don't factory fit them. I have a feeling there's some sort of EU directive about bonnet mascots and that Jaguar are probably cautious of product liability claims or something. However, will I be breaking the law if I have one fitted?

Any advice/experience gratefully received...

Cheers

[NormanD]

If you fit one it has to be able to 'Break Free'if hit, ask someone like www.RacingGreenCars.com

Personally I don't think they go with later models of Jaguars.

[LordK]

Cheers, thanks. I've emailed them as it seems (from their website) that they supply "break off/rotating" ones, at least for the X and S types.

I agree that the leaper mascot looks cack on the bonnet of an X/S-type, XJS or XK8, but the proportions of the XJ's bonnet can really be complemented by the mascot. I may be wrong but I think Jaguar still fit them to US market Jags, which is bizarre when you think about their paranoia about pedestrian safety (and yet they all drive around in SUVs...).

[a8hex]

Yes, they fit them in the states, or least when you take a Jag out of Hertz's toy box it has a leaper.

I thought it looked out of place on the XJ8 I had a little while ago. The car was in a light gold colour which didn't suit it (IMHO).

I saw a dark coloured one on the motorway yesturday with a leaper and it looked good.

YMVV Ken

[LordK]

FYI, mine's in the deep, vivid Pacific blue (very slightly lighter than the more common Sapphire Blue) so the mascot will probably suit it, I reckon.

[Johnniem]

As an owner of an X300 XJR I decided earlier this year to do away with the leaper on the front of mine. It is the first Jag I have owned, or that has been in my family, that looked rubbish with the leaper(this is a personal view!) and it really didn't suit the car. Most early Jags had the centre "stripe" on the bonnet culminating in the leaper. This looked great but it just didn't work on the X300 on it's own. It may well works better if you had the stripe too. Good luck to you if you decide to proceed but I would at least look at other Jags, of the same model, that have had the leaper installed.