Just as the business landscape was undergoing radical change in the 1980s, so too were the cars its leaders were driving. At the turn of the decade, the old guard were still firmly in place but in their final iterations, cars like the Jaguar Series 3, Mercedes-Benz W123 and Rover SD1. By the middle of the 1980s, most of these were replaced by completely new models, with much greater performance, refinement, and interior gadgetry. They were joined with more competitors vying for market share than ever before, and possibly since, creating something of a golden era for executive cars. The pace of change was fast, competition fierce and just like on the trading floors some cars were in favour one moment and out of favour the next. But the hard…
