Unveiled at the Earls Court motor show in London on 16 October 1968 - but seen in the pages of Autocar the previous month - the Jaguar XJ consolidated Jaguar's confusing product range, replacing the S-Type, 420, Mark 10 and 420G, although the latter soldiered on until 1970.

However, the current XJ has not long to live. The last of the current X351 generation will roll off the line in Birmingham on Friday 5th July 2019, and the next XJ - all-electric - won't be arriving just yet. However, Jaguar has just confirmed the new car will be built at the Castle Bromwich factory, along with "“a range of new electrified vehicles” at the facility.

Let's mark the occasion by looking at the XJ story produced over the last half a century – both official and unofficial: