2010 Jaguar XJ Spotted Taking The 'Ring

The 2010 Saab 9-5 wasn't the only car on the Nurburgring. Shooters spotted the highly-anticipated all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ taking a spin in military-grade camouflage. We can't wait for the July 9th reveal.

Okay, let's be real frank for a moment, we love the Jaguar XJ line. Loved it since the original 1968 model with its goofy grille, loved the XJ Coupe, loved it during the dark times of square lights and reliability hell, and really loved it when Ford brought it into the modern age. The 2002 XJ-R is high on our list of must-have cars before death. So it's with mixed emotions we await the all-new, traditional-shape-abandoning XJ. Is it exciting to have something which forges a new path, sets new paradigms, takes pot shots at convention? You bet. But a little part of us will mourn the passing of the old-world Jaguar.

We'll miss the beautifully proportioned shape which defined Jaguar for over four decades. The long, low, lithe silhouette is simultaneously elegant and yet powerful, delicate yet commanding, masculine and feminine. Did it have a helluva lot of faults? You bet, but faults give character, and British cars have always worn their faults as badges of honor. The next XJ will be a clean sheet, and it's admittedly time to take a different direction, but on July 9th, when the car is formally unveiled at a special event in London, a little piece of a great motoring past will die, but if we're lucky, an exciting new future will replace it. [MotorAuthority]