Jaguar XJS (detail)

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ABOUT THIS COMMISSION
Jaguar's iconic 'leaper' bonnet mascot, also known as 'The Leaping Jaguar' by Frederick Gordon Crosby, is one of the most instantly recognisable motoring symbols in the world. This leaper is on a Jaguar XJS (formerly 'XJ-S'), a luxury grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British car manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1975 to 1996, in coupé, fixed-profile and full convertible bodystyles. There were three distinct iterations, with a final production total of 115,000 units throughout its 21 years. Originally developed using the platform of the then-current XJ saloon, the XJ-S was noted for its prominent rear buttresses. The early styling was partially by Jaguar's aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer—one of the first designers to apply advanced aero principles to cars—however Sayer died in 1970, before the design was finalised. Its final iteration, produced from 1991 to 1996, was manufactured after Jaguar was acquired by Ford, who introduced numerous modifications – and eliminated the hyphen in the name, marketing Jaguar's longest running model simply as the XJS.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Paul Ward has been a professional photographer for over twenty years now and recently won his category at the British Photography Awards 2020. Over the years his work has been published in many books and magazines both in the UK and internationally and his architectural images currently adorn the walls aboard Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2. Paul’s passion for cars started when he bought his first Austin Mini almost 30 years ago and ever since then he has been obsessed with both classic cars and modern supercars, so, as an image-maker, it’s not surprising that automobile photography has become a passion of his too.