2007 Jaguar Sovereign Supercharged LWB

‘LF56 HDE’ has recently returned to the UK from Japan and is being offered with all the benefits that come with buying such a carefully curated, one-owner-from-new example.

And these benefits include winters that are free of road salt, which means the underside and suspension components are remarkably well preserved.

As the mechanical components, thanks to the Jaguar having both a full service history and a mileage verification certificate to confirm the reading of 26,000 miles on the odometer.

Finished in Liquid Silver Pearl with Barley piped leather trim, it also boasts a supercharged 400bhp V8 engine under the bonnet yet is ULEZ-compliant and costs just £345 a year to tax.

Insurance should be on a par with UK-spec cars too, which makes this a very affordable example of a classic British supersaloon.

By the time you’ve had a few years’ experience in bonding and riveting your aluminium coachwork, it’s only natural that you’ll have ironed out any production difficulties.

Throw in just the one meticulous previous owner and the result is panel fit and alignment that’s every millimetre as good now as it was when it rolled off the production line all those years ago.

Which would, of course, count for much less if the paintwork had been neglected, but you can rest easy on that score too because the Liquid Silver Pearl finish is still resplendent and virtually unmarked – and even the four corners are free of park-by-touch marks courtesy of the presence of front and rear parking sensors.

The hue gives the Jaguar a hewn-from-solid look that serves to highlight what an elegant and graceful design it is, while the 20-inch, five-spoke Callisto alloy wheels add to the Sovereign’s impressive stance.

As you’d expect by now, they are also very well-preserved with no chips, scrapes, or other kerbing marks to distract the eye.

The Xenon headlamps are undamaged too, and they feature a power wash to keep them clean in foul weather. The rest of the lamp lenses are similarly good being bright and free of sun damage and cracks.

Speaking of illumination, the Jaguar also benefits from automatic lights and wipers, as well as a speed limiter as part of the cruise control system.

Returning to its condition, the chrome mesh grille is in an excellent condition too, as is the rest of the limited brightwork, including the iconic Jaguar leaper.

The numberplate plinths are the full-size ones too, so there’s no external evidence that this is anything other than a UK car – other than its condition, obviously.

Which brings us neatly to a more detailed analysis of the Jaguar’s appearance. Our man examined it with a scanning electron microscope, concluding that it is “overall a very clean exterior.”

Not one to give up without a fight, even closer examination revealed the following: a very light scuff on the driver’s mirror cap; a couple of small chips on the edges of the doors; a small mark on the offside rear door, with another small mark just behind it on the rear wing; some very light scratching on the top of the offside wing as well as some light scratches to the nearside rear wing; and some light scratch marks on the front of the nearside wheelarch.

He also mentioned that there are some very light marks here and there, but even he had to admit that these are only visible under a harsh light and are very hard to see otherwise.

While we’re talking about his forensic examination of the Sovereign (now there’s an idea for a Netflix special…), it’s rare for us to lead with the bad news but as the only flaw he could find inside is “some light wear to the veneer on the gear selector knob” we think it’s safe to make an exception in this case.

Because the interior is in a staggeringly good condition, including the ice-cold four-zone climate control; if we were to tell you that it was 18-months old rather than 18 years, we think you’d believe us.

The heated and electrically operated front seats are joined by an electrically operated steering wheel, pedals, door mirrors, windows, and even rear seats – and the steering wheel and rear seats are also heated.

Being a long-wheelbase model, legroom in the back is huge, and the lucky so-and-sos that get to sit there will also enjoy picnic tables, an electric rear sunblind, manually operated blinds for the side windows, and their own controls for the air-conditioning and entertainments system.

Cupholders too, in the unlikely event they’d rather start the day with a Starbucks instead of a glass of Champagne.

All the occupants will appreciate the presence of double-glazed acoustic glass, allowing them to better enjoy the powerful entertainment system.

They’ll also enjoy the cossetting and butter-soft ruched Barley leather that’s piped with a coffee-coloured trim that matches the seatbelts.

And what isn’t covered with the fine hide is invariably trimmed with wooden veneer. So extensive is it, that it even includes the sunglasses holder in the roof and the electrically powered, heated steering wheel that includes controls for the headunit and the cruise control, an engineering tour de force that seamlessly blends classic styling with the sort of 21st century electrickery we’d struggle to live without.

It’s also got a factory-fitted alarm system and has just been fitted with a new headlining, so that’s now as clean and beautifully presented as everything else in the cabin.

The carpets are excellent too, with almost no visible wear, partly due to the presence of deep-pile lamb’s wool overmats.

As for the boot, it’s big enough to swallow luggage for five while still having capacity for a space-saver spare wheel, the Jaguar tool kit and warning triangle, and the car’s main battery.

Our man pressed and prodded everything in his desire to uncover even the slightest fault, eventually alighting on a problem with the rear passenger window, which sometimes bounces back down when closing. However, even he had to admit that it always closed fully in the end.

The seller tells us that it “runs and drives to perfection” and is “an absolute corker”, an assessment the video supports as the supercharged V8 engine starts, idles, and revs as it should.

There are no warning lights on the dashboard either, nor any strange noises from under the bonnet. Despite having 400bhp on tap, we think this would be an easy car to live with, whether that be popping to the shops or crushing an entire continent before lunch.

(Maybe, in light of recent events across the pond, we should find a new phrase, eh?)

The underbonnet area is as clean as you’d expect, while the underside is a poster child for the benefits of buying a car from Japan.

The Jaguar’s MoT certificate, which is valid until December 2025, was issued with no advisories, and the recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar the marker for being an imported car.

The paperwork in the history file is unusually complete; the Japanese take GDPR very seriously, so a car’s paper history is usually confiscated to preserve the previous owner’s privacy. Someone slipped up here though because it’s still got its service record, which is good news for us.

It also comes with two keys, the Jaguar wallet and book pack, and a V5 registration document showing zero previous UK keepers, so your name will be the first.

Finished to a rare and highly desirable specification, this long-wheelbase Jaguar Sovereign would be an ideal entry into the modern classic car world.

Beautifully preserved and backed up by the sort of service history you rarely see with cars from Japan anymore, we estimate the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £16,000 and £19,000.

And this is, you’ll recall for an all-aluminium super-saloon with 400bhp at its disposal as well as Rolls-Royce levels of comfort; perhaps it could be seen as a cheaper to run and more accessible alternative to the Bentley Continental R you’ve been eyeing for a while?

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