Hey guys, first post here,
I just purchased a 2003 X Type Jag.
It doesn’t have a hood ornament.
I notice after watching some videos on YouTube, dome do.
I like the hood ornament.
So, I have 2 questions:
1). Why doesn’t my 2003 model have a hood ornament?
2). Can I buy one and put it on?
You don’t say where you are: That counts, when it comes to safety regulations and nanny state-ism. North American spec cars have break-away leapers installed at the factory. Euro spec cars don’t, because of over inflated (my opinion) concerns for pedestrian safety. The deep thinkers in Brussels think the mascot, rather than the 2 ton car behind it, will be the determining factor in a car/pedestrian crash.
Look under the hood, to see if there are provisions for mounting the spring loaded leaper. Then check with your local Jag parts dept to see if you can buy one.
I’m in Canada and my Can spec X Type had one from the factory. My previous XJ40 and X 300 had them also. The only cars that don’t come with them in NA, are the sports cars. The E Type never had one and the XJ-S never had one. My XK8 doesn’t have one.
Oh, thanks. I live in Australia.
I don’t think there are any laws against hood ornaments here.
I won’t be able to see the car for 2 weeks, so I can’t tell if it has provisions for the mounting.
I’ll have to wait and see about that.
Al I know is I think the car looks 10 times better with it.
On further reflection, since both Australia and England are right hand drive countries, maybe Jag just produces the same car for both markets.
Yes, I believe the car is very similar. Do you guys use k’s or miles?
Is the hood lever on the passenger side? / Left side? of the interior?
The hood release is on the left/drivers side. Canada uses km’s while the US uses miles. Canada requires daytime running lights while the US probably regards this as a commie plot. Since I’ve owned Jaguars, starting with an XJ40, Jaguar has met the daytime running light requirement by simply having all the exterior lights turn on with the ignition key.
G’day Mr Len,
I have an X Type and fitted a leaper to my bonnet. I ordered the spring loaded leaper on eBay and I used a metal hole cutter which I bought at Bunnings to cut the hole in the bonnet.
If you open the bonnet and look at the underside, about where the leaper would be fitted, you’ll see a hole in the bonnet support bracing, I found the centre of that and drilled a pilot hole from underneath and then used a Sutton hole cutter from above.
Before I fitted the leaper I sprayed the hole and surrounding area with a waxy underbody sealer. It’s been on for a couple of years now and there is no rust evident.
Cheers,
Jeff.
You do have provision in the form of a round hole in the 2nd skin behind the bonnet spike. I also looked up X type prices in OZ and saw the leaper on most of them.