2008 Jaguar XJ 3.0 Executive

Cars imported from Japan are the classic world’s big secret, and ‘LE08 KKS’, a Midnight Blue Pearl Jaguar X358 fitted with a Barley hide interior and the three-litre V6 engine under the bonnet, shows why.

Despite being sixteen years old, it is all but free of the sort of patina British cars suffer. No rust, of course, thanks to that aluminium construction but no alloy corrosion or real wear, either. Just meticulous presentation and a high specification that includes all the important Brit-spec bits.

We know the owner, and have sold a few cars for him, and we are always pleasantly surprised at how well they are presented to us. As usual, he drove this one to us, which adds another layer of reassurance on top of the modest running costs the 35.4mpg he achieved on his journey promises. 

And, if that weren’t enough, it’s also ULEZ/CAZ compliant and the annual VED bill is just £325. As for our estimate, we’ll get to that later but it’s being offered with no reserve, so the hammer will fall on a sale where you lot decide, which makes our thoughts on its value almost irrelevant.

The vendor has fitted the full-size numberplate plinth, plus a MPH speedometer face and UK sat-nav, so it’s now indistinguishable from a UK-spec example. 

Apart from its condition, obviously. 

As you can see, the Midnight Blue Pearl finish is actually more of a very dark blue/grey metallic hybrid. But colour aside, you, like us, were probably first drawn to its condition; with razor sharp shutlines, excellent panel alignment, and no dents, dinks, or other damage, the Jaguar is a poster child for Japanese curation.

The XJ has been machine-polished recently too, and then treated to a ceramic coating, so it should stay looking this good for a long time to come. 

It’s also fully loaded with toys that include LED headlamps, headlamp power wash, double-glazed acoustic glass, front fog lamps, a boot spoiler, and some lovely vents in the front wings. 

There’s plenty of chrome too including the upper and lower radiator grilles, door handles, and trim on the vents.

As for the Carelia 8.5Jx19 alloy wheels , they are unmarked and in fine fettle and fitted with a matching set of new high-speed Goodride Sport SA-37 tyres.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

As for flaws, there is some colour loss to the black edge of the windscreen as well as some marks to the paintwork around the nearside edge of the rear screen. 

The interior specification is just as impressive and includes cruise control, automatic lights, electric pedal adjustment, and double-glazed acoustic windows. 

This is a car that blends the traditional and the modern in a way that soothes your spirit while still managing to satisfy your desire for 21st century technology.

The seats are faced with leather and all four occupants have the option of turning on a seat heater. The front ones are air-conditioned too, as well as being electrically adjustable. 

All are piped in a contrasting colour, and all are in an excellent condition with only a little light creasing and some colour loss to the outer edge to the driver’s seat to betray the car’s age.

As you’d expect given the manufacturer, there’s plenty of walnut veneer in here and all of that is in the same impressively high condition as the door cards, carpets, and instruments and controls.

The boot is very clean and immaculately presented. The warning triangle is held snug in the boot lid, while the space saver spare wheel and tool kit live alongside the battery under the carpet. 

A new headliner has been fitted, which leaves you absolutely nothing to do if you can ignore the slight wear that’s evident on the steering wheel.

Other than bask in its luxury and your impeccable judgment, obviously.

A new air suspension pump has been fitted, and the vendor reports the journey to us saw the big cat return 35.4mpg with the cruise control set at a steady 70mph. He further reports there are no warning lights on the dashboard, and the engine coolant temperature remained where it should be.

As for how its starts and runs, the video tells the same story as the seller: “On a cold start the engine fires up perfectly smooth on choke till warm and settles down to an even idle with no smoke or any unusual sounds.

“It runs perfectly as it should, changing smoothly through the gears. There are no knocks when you move between reverse and drive, and the suspension is perfectly smooth and quiet. The brakes pull up square with no pulling to either side, but, if I’m being really picky, I would recommend new front discs on the next service as they are showing signs of wear.”

The only thing we’d add is that it has an unusually attractive exhaust note for a luxury saloon.

As is so often the case these days, you can’t see much of the actual engine but everything around it looks clean and in good order.

The underside has never seen a salty winter so is free of even the surface rust that usually peppers the suspension components.

The Jaguar’s MoT certificate is valid until October 2024 and it won’t surprise you to learn that it did so without drawing a single adverse comment from the MoT tester. Mind you, with fewer than 50,000 miles on the clock and what appears to have been meticulous curation, we wouldn’t expect anything less.

Other than that, the history file contains the importation paperwork and the V5 registration document.

The benefits of buying a car that’s lived its life in Japan are numerous, as this one demonstrates.

Still yet to cover 50,000 miles, it’s running beautifully and looks even better. It should be decently parsimonious to run too, which means you get all that Grace, Space and Pace at a bargain price.

Including the cost of entry. 

Our best guess is that the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £12,000 and £15,000 but, as it is being sold with no reserve, it’ll sell from the very first bid which means the final tally will be entirely down to you.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.