1991 Jaguar Background Info
The 1991 Jaguar Vibe
By 1991, the Big Cat was going through a bit of a wardrobe change. Ford had just stepped in with their checkbook, but the soul of the 1991 XJ40 and the legendary XJS remained purely British. If you were walking into a showroom back then, you weren't just picking a car; you were picking a mood. We've got 18 colors from this vintage in our database, which is quite the spread for a year when most manufacturers were playing it safe. Whether you were rocking the quintessential Brooklands Green, the deep Black Cherry Pearl, or the regal Westminster Blue, these cars looked like they were dripping in wet ink. It was the era of the "Forest Green" fad, and Jaguar owned it better than anyone.
Paint Health Check
Here's the rub: 1991 puts these beauties right in the heart of "The Peeling Era." While the finish looked like a million bucks on the showroom floor, the clear coat technology of the early 90s hadn't quite figured out how to survive thirty years of sun. You might notice what we call "delamination"-that's when the clear coat starts looking like a bad sunburn and begins to flake off in sheets. On an XJS or an XJ40, this usually starts on the "boot" or the roof where the UV rays hit the hardest. Once that clear lifts, the pigment underneath is defenseless. If you've got Arctic Blue Metallic or Silver Frost, that metallic flake will go dull and gray the second the clear fails.
Restoration Tip
The golden rule for 1991 paint? Seal your chips immediately. In this era, a stone chip isn't just a cosmetic blemish; it's an invitation for moisture to crawl between the color coat and the clear coat. Once water gets under that edge, it'll start lifting the clear like a sticker. When you're touching up your Jag, make sure you clean the chip thoroughly with a prep solvent to get any old wax out. Apply your color in thin layers, and ensure you've sealed the edges of the original clear coat. Think of it like a dam-if you stop the leak now, you won't have to respray the whole hood later.