1977 Jaguar XJ-C 4.2

This handsome Squadron Blue example was sold new in 1977 by the Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham, once Mike Hawthorn’s family business. The original owner, a Mr Passmore, may have kept the car right up to 2010 since when there have been three more registered keepers – though the V5C indicates one more owner somewhere along the line, so we cannot be certain.

The car’s main strong point is its originality. It’s never been apart and retains the feel of a factory example; everything still fits as it should, which is hard to re-create. That said, it’s had various repairs and touch-ups over the years so the paint finish is not the factory coat. The car’s three most recent owners have lavished a large amount of money on it: £14,238 is the total the vendor arrived at by adding the invoices in the file.

It needs minor repairs to one front floor and a sagging headlining but is mechanically very fit.

No doubt about it, this is a superb looking car. William Lyons’ pillarless shape is still strikingly well-balanced, with excellent proportions and a sleekness that’s probably helped by the vinyl roof. The car’s refurbished GKN alloys contribute to a very clean, smart first impression and the stance is good too…not sagging, but pert and ready to pounce.

Closer inspection reveals a few areas of micro blistering, seen the front scuttle below the windscreen wiper or on the tail panel of the boot lid. It’s probably not enough to provoke thoughts of a respray – the general quality of the finish is too nice for that – and so one might accept it as a foible of an ageing, unrestored car, or considered as possibly something a skilled detailer could deal with in small areas.

The vinyl roof is in great shape with no worrying bubbles underneath. The car rides on four 205/70-15 Dunlop Aquajets that look new, but have been on there since 2013. The chrome is in remarkable nick if indeed it’s never been re-plated and the glass is good too, with only the odd light scratch.

The car’s cabin is probably its strongest suit. The biscuit hide and original carpet set are just as you’d hope to find them – mellowed but not worn out or damaged. The back seats (it’s a full four-seater, remember) look as though they’ve never been used. The dash is also surviving well, with just a hint of lacquer discolouring or lifting in a few small areas.

We’ve played with all the switches and everything electrical seems to work, including the period Sharp radio/cassette, the original fitment. The dials and gauges behave apart from the speedo which insists you are doing 18mph regardless of whether you are parked in your garage or cruising on the open road. There is only one inertia reel belt fitted in the rear seat; the other is in the boot along with quite a quantity of books and spares. The cloth headlining would want to be attended to.  

Lift the carpets and the front floors reveal some efforts at protection with blue paint one side and rust converter on the other; scrubbing and repainting both would seem like worthwhile preventative maintenance. The boot floor remains impressively solid around the spare wheel well.

The vendor drove it to our splendid new HQ in South Oxfordshire and happily recalls making serene progress at motorway speeds with little of the expected wind noise from those pillarless windows. He described it as very stable and being a joy to drive.

Structurally it all seems solid enough but there is evidence of past repairs if you look closely. There are patches here and there, chiefly near the front and rear of the sills, visible through the underseal. There is one hole in the outer skin of the front passenger floor that the winning bidder would probably look to repair.

The engine bay is honest, not as pretty as the car’s exterior, but could be improved markedly by a re-paint for the cam covers if you felt inspired.

There’s a good folder of invoices covering the last ten years, the most recent seven of which have passed in the ownership of the same gentleman. Much service work and general mechanical improvement is recorded, including some of those jobs XJ owners dread – dropping the back axle to sort out the rear disc brakes, for instance. Headlines include a suspension overhaul, work to fuel system and pumps, carburettors, Automatic Enrichment Device and steering, but there’s a lot more besides.

It’s pleasing to find the car’s original Leyland Passport to Service (stamped to 23,987 miles) as well as the Supercover handbook portfolio, the owner’s manual and the operating instructions for the Sharp radio-cassette. There are also some older tax discs and MOTs.

The V5C is present and remains in the name of the gentleman who supplied it to the vendor.

There’s a choice here – leave the car as it is, and after repairing one floor and the headlining, enjoy some rapid and luxurious classic motoring in a car you won’t be afraid to use… or treat this as an excellent basis for a show car and beautify it to concours standard.

We think this one will sell for between £14,000 and £18,000. That’s going to leave you about £10,000 below the prices paid for the A1 examples, but from ten feet away – or from inside that lovely cabin – there’s very little difference.

Viewing is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us near Abingdon. To arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.