1994 Jaguar XJ-S

With many years experience in the motor trade, owner Steve has always been a Jaguar fan and, for many years, an owners’ club member. He actually found this 1994 model on ebay and, as well as the condition, was struck by the car’s history.

‘Over the years, the previous owner had done more or less a rolling restoration,’ Steve explains, citing the sheaf of invoices as he speaks. They include a long list of small but comprehensive upgrades and parts refreshing. ‘And he had the front wings replaced and the sides repainted,’ Steve adds.

The XJS has also since been treated to a new steering rack and a stainless steel exhaust.

Although he has had the Jaguar some eight years, Steve has added less than 4000 miles to its odometer count, which now sits around 110,700.

I thought I would use it more than I have - its a beautiful tourer - but I find myself in a Range Rover more.’ (That’s dog owners for you). ‘So its been in (temperature-controlled) storage most of its time.’

One aspect of the continual refreshment of the XJS that is most striking is how the car feels on the road. It has a relatively new - mileage-wise - set suspension bushes and bearings. (This reviewer also photographed and test drove the car).

Despite being celebrated as a svelte tourers, many XJSs drive like an artillery tractor, bumping into holes and rolling unevenly. The ride and damping on this example is excellent and the car lives up to the legend that the big GT has become.

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the US-spec twin headlight look on the XJS (‘Le Mans’ editions had them too) and their inclusion on this example - in very clean, bright metal surrounds - gives this XJS a striking appearance.

To be fair, it would have that anyway - the long low rakish silhouette maintains all of its original tautness. The wing on the tail is firmly fixed in place, as are the mirrors on their fresh-looking rubber mounts and that big front bumper shows no signs of sagging. The big doors fit perfectly, and the long bonnet and (short) boot sit neat and parallel to the car’s wings.

As Steve mentioned, the front wings are relatively new and show no signs of corrosion along any of their length. Their paint matches perfectly to the rest of the car and, indeed, the overall finish of the Jaguar is very good - that includes the underside of the doors - and metal and plastic parts maintain a consistent colour. There are some very small areas of corrosion. A tiny bubble just below the bonnet mascot and another developing where the rear edge of the back off-side wheel arch meats the bumper trim. The seam between the two materials is a little untidy here. Also, the chrome base of the aerial mount on this side has some surface corrosion.

The rest of the chrome is largely excellent - there’s probably more than you think along the front. It shows no pitting or discolouration. Those joins in the front and rear bumpers can sometimes start to look a bit dark around the edges, but these are good. The front grill is quite a fiddly little assembly on these, but again, on this example remains very neat.

The window surrounds (and their rubber seals) are also very tidy; one or two very tiny rust spots that might soon need attention, though probably not if this is a fair weather only car. The door seals are flexible with no rips or loose ends.

A good overall impression.

Jaguar has long been famed for its wood and leather interiors and it is still very much a strong feature of this car. Considering the mileage - and the colour - the seat hides are in remarkably good condition. The cushions show only the lightest patina and the side bolsters are free of exit and entry scuffs and wear. The stitching all around the cabin is tight and very tidy. Like many a two-plus-two GT, the rear seats look like they’ve never been sat in. Carrying on the cream theme, the door panels are, of course, trimmed in the same, but there is no wear nor dirty marks around the electric seat controls (they all work fine) and both these and the wood insets remain nicely mounted and straight.

Indeed, the walnut burr across the whole of the interior is a beautiful feature, retaining a lustre and an ambience that only Jaguar and Rolls-Royce seem capable of achieving. Set into the panelling, the instruments and vents are clean and retain all of their original colour. The growler-embossed steering wheel is a strong feature and the gear-selector surround remains firmly mounted. All the chrome trim is very smooth - and even the coil of the cigarette lighter is clean.

The carpets and mats aren’t this car’s greatest feature, there are some small tears that go right through the pile, stains in places, and the front mats could do with replacing - though don’t worry - they’ll do just fine for now.

As a Jaguar GT buyer, the whole interior vibe will probably be an important factor in your decision to buy, and, if so, (and mats not withstanding) then this example won’t disappoint. Oh - and - the headlining doesn’t sag, and nor does it appear that it is about to start.

All the larger components of the suspension - wishbones et al - look sturdy, a bit dirty obviously, but strong with a decided absence of any serious surface corrosion. Floorpans and the underside of the fuel tank appear very robust and rustproofed.

The car had a fair amount of new parts around 2011 and all bolts, though showing a dusting of surface rust (as bolts love to do), appear very accessible and usable. Dampers and coil springs look similarly good. The universal joints in the drive train appear to be in great condition.

The rear valance looks very healthy - yes; around where the exhausts come through too - and that front spoiler (a factory option), although very low, doesn’t appear to have taken too many scrapes.

Looking up into the inner wheel arches, everything looks pretty good - maybe the odd brush of surface corrosion in the rears. The paint is chipped/worn around the bottoms of the wheel arches in one or two places, and the seams between the rear wings and the outer sills may been watching, though okay at present. The big alloys and their brake assemblies are in good form and the stainless steel exhaust still looks very new.

The engine bay looks to be in good order, it’s no concours queen, but everything is where it should be and looks like it’s been well attended to over the years. The wiring is very tidy (as its insulation tape) and hoses look supple and clean. It would be interesting to learn if you could actually get an XJS distributor cap and HT leads in a brighter blue. The latter, like many hidden components in the engine bay are quite new, certainly in relation to the car’s mileage.

The gutters where the wings are bolted look pretty clean, as do the panels and joins under that big long bonnet. There are some minor edges of surface rust, but nothing in any way worrying. The under-bonnet sound proofing looks a little saggy but strong and showing no signs of heat da mage.

This Jaguar has a fully-stamped service book - no ‘dark’ periods anywhere to unsettle a potential buyer. And reassuringly, there is also that comprehensive file of invoices (many of the bigger ones from around 2011), showing the diligence and insight of the previous owner as well as setting the next keeper’s mind at rest about many smaller and often forgotten items as well as some big ’uns too - the front wings. Also, as previously mentioned, don’t underestimate the effect of those new bushes (plus bearings and track rod ends); it makes this a very pleasant and entertaining rider out on the country roads.

A well-sorted Jaguar with no mechanical questions unanswered.

This is by no means a perfect XJS, but its faults are visible, manageable and fairly minimal. It’s no show queen, but a well cared-for, well-sorted driver’s car. It will suit someone who wants to buy the car and get out there now; it can certainly be enjoyed - for a long time - just the way it is. If he/she has a mind to, the new owner can attend to the cosmetic improvements as they go along or wait for one ‘off-road’ season and tackle them all at once.

It’s a smart car in a good colour combination with some nice details (rear wing, twin headlights), and we think it will command between £8,000 and £11,000. Why not treat yourself and have a Gran Turismo summer in this XJS?

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.