1990 Jaguar XJS 5.3 HE V12 *Sold £5,000*

Description

• Previously Stored since 2006
• Light recommission required
• Stunning Arctic Blue repaint before storage
• Starts, runs and drives
• TWS Bodykit
• Replacement interior supplied

History

When a car remains in production almost unaltered for 22 years, it genuinely is a classic car, as is the case with this Jaguar XJS.

With the last E-types rolling off the production line in 1974 Jaguar needed a worthy successor.  As early as 1968 Jaguar was thinking ahead. It designated the initial project a codename; XJ21. This morphed in to the XJ 27/28 and after many internal discussions Jaguar finally settled on XJS.

On the 10 September 1975 Jaguar revealed the XJS to the world.  The car was aimed squarely at the Mercedes SL customers and to help lure customers away from the German marque, it was priced at nearly £2,000 less on launch.

In V12 5.3 litre form, the Jaguar XJS is a true supercar, with performance of 155mph and 0-60 in 7.3 seconds. As models developed, Jaguar made subtle changes making the XJS even better. Journalists delighted their readers with tales of travelling at 100 mph in near total silence.  The public couldn’t get enough of the XJS either

Our vendor has shared that he has known this car for quite some time, spending 15 to 20 years with the previous owner who, back in 2007, spent a great deal of money on repainting and servicing so this XJS not only looks fantastic but also runs superbly. Then for some unfathomable reason, he tucked it away in his garage almost forgetting about it.  We say almost because he did visit it periodically to start and run it up “Just to make sure it was still ready to go if needed”.

Anyway, our vendor was not happy with this and badgered him constantly until he eventually gave up thinking that he would never get to own it.  Well guess what, out of the blue he received a call to say that the previous owner now felt it was time to move the XJS on.

Originally the intentions of our vendor were to recommission and then just enjoy it, as he knew it was a great car being wasted in that dusty garage.  The only problem was, as is so often the case, the timing was not ideal, he couldn’t let it slip through his fingers though so instinctively bought the car with the same original intentions.

With the car coming to sale less than a year later you have probably guessed the story again, yep, it didn’t quite work out the way our vendor had intended and that poor timing has led to it not getting the attention it deserves. Don’t get us wrong, it has been cleaned and tidied up to its present condition but is still yet to be fully commissioned and our vendor feels “it is criminal” to leave such a special thing just sitting there, albeit in a different garage.

The honest realisation that he was probably not going to use the XJS as he first expected means that some lucky person is going to bag a very good example of this iconic car.

Moving on to the car itself, as is the case with cars that sit for this long, the previous owner managed to misplace the original owners handbook and service manual. Although very frustrating, he has assured our vendor that the 76,000 mileage is right and correct. Our vendor has no reason whatsoever to question that as he has also known the car for 20 years and seen first hand its lack of use.

The Jaguar XJS will come with an age-related plate of G587 VNX as the current one (as seen in the images) is already on retention. There is also a handful of invoices showing the repaint and service parts from the works carried out prior to its storage.

Exterior

Well, what can we say about these stunning cars, extremely good looking in its Arctic Blue paintwork and Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) bodykit fitted it really is stunning.

As previously mentioned, the XJS was repainted prior to storage and apart from some minor bubbling to one side of the windscreen it has stood the test of time spectacularly.

The virtually spotless bodywork really is resplendent in the sunlight, the shut lines are precise and crucially there is no evidence of the XJS’s most feared enemy; corrosion.  Just study those images yourself, it really is a stunning looking thing.

Under the bonnet is as solid as the exterior, and yes, as you would expect from a car that has been stored for 5 years, it could do with some detailing but there is at least an honesty about it that will please our winning bidder.

It was felt the best course of action was not to clean it to within an inch of its life and let our bidders see the engine bay as it is so as not to be steering into a place where the car looks over presented.  We cannot stress the honestly of this lovely example.

Interior

If you have ever owned, or at least sat in an XJS you will be used the feel and sense of luxury that was intended when Jaguar developed the “XJ21.” They knew it had to be special to compete with its contemporaries so they didn’t hold back.  Fitting sumptuous leather seats with an impressive array of electrics within the car, you were transported from a to b in the lap of luxury.

As you can see by the images in the gallery, the current driver’s seat is showing some wear and tear, in fact our vendor has shared that he recently received a quote of £250 to correct that wear but decided to purchase a full interior less the door cards instead. As we shared earlier, his lack of time has led to him not getting round to fitting them but, very kindly, he is letting them go with the car to the winning bidder rather than selling them separately, more time he does not have.

The usual XJS saggy roof lining is present so another small job has fallen by the wayside, we suspect that the air conditioning will need a re-gas along with some investigative work on the drivers window as that failed to open when our vendor last checked. Other than that our vendor believes everything to be working as it should.

Engine and Transmission

The V12 is a legendary engine and despite what people say it is a remarkably reliable piece of engineering.  As if proof were needed, when our vendor finally managed to get his pinkies on this Jaguar XJS after such a long wait, it fired up just fine. Ok, it was a little lumpy as you would expect but once up to its normal temperature and with clean fuel, it runs perfectly.

We must bear in mind that it was perfect when it was parked in its long term home so he was pretty confident it would be fine but as we have stated already the XJS could do with a few hours spent recommissioning and as such our recommendation would be to properly re-commission the car with, at the very least, a full “oils and filters” service and a good check of the brakes.

Wheels tyres and suspension

Our vendor, very correctly advised that the matching Pirelli P6000 tyres are probably of an age where you would want to replace them, even though there is plenty of tread we somewhat agree.  The five spoke alloys look to be in fantastic condition with no obvious scrapes or scuffs.

The suspension is currently untested but again, there is no reason to suspect that there are any issues as, like we previously mentioned, the vehicle has been stored and pretty much washed and started up, other than that we suggest you check this along with the rest of the running gear etc.

Our view

A rare opportunity to own a Jaguar XJS v12 that is presented exceptionally well with its TWR bodykit, yes it needs some light recommissioning but that is generally for safety’s sake nothing else. Looking and driving perfectly when it entered its hibernation, our vendor is confident it is an exceptional example that won’t take much at all to become the pride of the street.

With prices climbing by the day, we know that these are more and more sought after. This one has a very sensible reserve so we are expecting the auction to be a little frantic, either way the winning bidder will be extremely pleased on collection.

 

Vehicle Location: Leicestershire LE18– it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

Have a question about this Jaguar XJS? Please contact the Evoke team at auction@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.

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