Currently reading: Jaguar deletes 10 years of Instagram posts as reinvention nears

Firm wipes its feed clean to post cryptic close-ups of XJR-9 racer that won Le Mans 24 Hours in 1988

Jaguar has wiped a decade's worth of posts from its Instagram account, raising questions as to what it could mean for the brand's all-electric reinvention, which is set to take place in just three years time. 

Jaguar announced plans to become an all-electric luxury brand from 2025 more than a year ago but since has revealed no details about the cars that will follow the XE, XF, F-Pace, E-Pace and F-Type into showrooms once they're phased out. 

Jaguar's deleted posts were teasing the Jaguar F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 - click the link to read all of the details

So far, all that is known about the new Jaguar EVs is that they will ride atop a new bespoke platform called Panthera, will be positioned as more upmarket than the brand's current cars and will be a radical departure – design-wise – from all Jaguar models past and present. 

Now the British manufacturer has cultivated fresh intrigue about its future by deleting all posts from its Instagram account - which at time of writing has some 12.6 million followers.

It's not readily apparent precisely how many posts have been removed, but the brand had posted regularly and amassed a large, active following on the social-media app since it joined in May 2012.

The posts have been replaced by three close-up detail shots of the firm's hallowed XJR-9 endurance racer, which claimed victory at the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans - which some have taken to mean a Jaguar Le Mans entry is on the cards for the first time in 32 years.

However, the brand has said nothing to suggest that this is the case, and it's feasible that the teasers are completely unrelated to the brand's electrification strategy. 

Jaguar xjr 9 archive image front

The three images are captioned simply Prologue, Genesis and Flash back, with no further context given.

Responding to curious followers in the comments, Jaguar has gone only so far as to say: "Something vivid this way comes." And when asked by one fan what is happening, it answered: "that's a big question."

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The fact that Jaguar's Special Vehicles (SV) division has posted the same detail shots to its own feed suggests some XJR-9-themed news is on the horizon.

The Jaguar Racing Formula E team's account has been left untouched. 

It seems likely the posts preview some sort of XJR-9-themed special edition being launched to coincide with the imminent 34th anniversary of its win at La Sarthe.

The most recent limited-run special from SV was the V8-powered Defender Bond Edition, of which just 300 were made and 15 sold in the UK.

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Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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PininfarinaATS 31 May 2022

Produce an electric XJ220, a Porsche Taycan and a sporty crossover. Get back into the game. All electric models with proper designs and interiors. However, with Gerry McGovern at the wheel, this is a dream. Forget about Bentley. Be Jaguar.

Annika 28 February 2024

Revamping iconic models like the XJ220 and embracing electric technology could indeed revitalize Jaguar's image. With Gerry McGovern's vision, they could redefine luxury and performance in the electric era.

 

 

Paul Dalgarno 30 May 2022

The world's most predictable poster should be fired from his self appointed post of chief critic to Aston Martin and Thierry Bollore.  

Jaguar has been a basket case for decades. Trying to copy the Germans didn't work, and almost certainly never will. Face it, the Jaguar brand only appeals to old farts reminiscing about the 60s and 70s, and mostly of us will be dead soon. Even when building cars that were actually quite good no one wanted them. Not helped by terminally dull styling either. 

Shame that the rose tinted specs don't accept it's not a charity, and actually needs to turn a profit. it's going to be a blood bath for the staff, but at least there may be some left - the way it was going meant it relied on LR to prop them up, and building the cars they do I can't see LR being relevant to a world of ever increasing climate concerns.  

All kinds of tosh written about they should do this, they should do that. All of them were just repeating the same mistakes they made before. Jaguar stands for very little these days, so they need to get noticed again. Only way I can see them doing it is by designing stunning cars, so I'm really curious to see what they come up with. Like it or not the cars are going electric very quickly, and electric platforms will be much the same as other brands - styling and tech will make the difference.  

Was at a vintage through your modern days car show in Sunday. A new DBS was attracting a helluva lot of attention Symanski. It was absolutely gorgeous in a deep plum colour. A lot of gorgeous old Jags there, but nothing after the early 70s...

Symanski 30 May 2022

“I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”

― Margaret Thatcher

 

Symanski 30 May 2022

The world's worst automotive CEO, Thierry Bollore's plans to kill off Jaguar continue.

 

Instantly wants to transform Jaguar not only in to a Tesla rival, but also one for Bentely.   Bently is a tenth of the size, if that, of Jaguar.   Bollore wants to decimate Jaguar.   90% of the workforce and dealers need to go to satisfy Bollore's plans.

 

Glad they opted to remove the cancer sponsorhip from the images released.   I'd like to see motorsport clean up its act with the historical picture they release and reuse.   We have the technology and don't need to give that cancer industry more free PR; we can learn from our mistakes.

 

Bollore should go and get a job at Aston Martin.   Sorry, but it's a lost cause now.