1977 Jaguar XJC

We are delighted to be offering for sale a late 1977 XJC, equipped with the 4.2-litre engine and mated to a four-speed retro fitted manual gearbox, with overdrive no less. Whilst some may lust after the V12, with real world economy likely to be in the low teens, the smaller engine is by far the better choice.

Our seller is the fourteenth custodian of this svelte coupe, acquiring it some four months ago to add to his extensive Jaguar collection. His idea was to turn it into a fast road car, and he spent a lot of money on the car his short period of ownership.

How much we hear you ask? Well almost £2,000 was spent on the interior and some £7,000 on the mechanicals.

The previous owner spent money on the Jaguar too and we also know that a full respray has been carried out, though we do not know when.

Our seller’s plans have now changed, and the sale therefore represents a great opportunity for someone new to enjoy the car. She has been a lady of leisure, as the MoT history shows the car to have covered just 800 miles since 2005, with long periods off the road.

The XJC is a lovely looking car, there’s no doubt about that and we think black rather suits it, enhancing those graceful lines.

Our seller had the car machine polished, the aim being to remove some of the swirls etc. that show up so easily on black paintwork, a designers favorite, but a colour known to be very unforgiving. 

As previously mentioned, we do know the car has been resprayed and from a distance it still looks in reasonable shape. Certainly the black sets off the pillar-less lines of one of Sir William's favorite designs.  

The front and rear valances could do with some attention though and as could the nearside front wing which is scratched.

There are some rust bubbles on the C-pillars which will need attending to and we note a couple of small dents on the boot lid, alongside the number plate.

The car’s chrome has some surface rust visible on the lower sections of both front and rear bumpers, especially on the "over riders", which are fortunately available after-market. 

GKN "Kent" alloy wheels are fitted and are in good order, having either been replaced or refurbished. Each wheel is shod with a premium Continental tyre and as we always like to mention, matching rubber is usually a sign of caring and considered classic car ownership.

In October our seller consigned the XJC to Miles Classic in Huddersfield, a company which specialises in the marque and sells a selection of choice cars.

Amongst the work the carried out was the fitment of a new headlining and new black carpet set. They also gave the whole interior a general clean-up.

The beige leather contrasts nicely with the exterior hue. The seats, superbly comfortable, are in places showing signs of patina, in line with the cars age. We always like originality but would mention that there are many specialists who would be able to improve them. 

The central armrest area between the two front seats is a little battle-scarred which is a shame. We also note some cracking to the wood veneer, most noticeable on the glovebox.

Comprehensive instrumentation is the order of the day, though the chrome surrounds could do with a good clean up.

The driving position is imperious with an excellent view out thanks to the wonderfully slim pillars. The spindly steering wheel needs just fingertips to chart a course and the gear lever falls easily to hand.

Tunes are provided by a Blaupunkt radio/cassette player, though we are not sure this is an original fit.

The boot carpet has been replaced and in line with al XJ, there is room for lots of luggage, should a touring holiday be on the cards.

The spare wheel well could do with a lick of paint and the light surface rust banishing. 

We always include plenty of photographs of a car’s underside and that is the case here.

We can spot signs of work being done, as new components are clear to see. We can also tell you that specialists West Riding Jaguar in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, carried out some recent work.

They spotted rot and corrosion around the rear radius arms and they carried out repairs. Done at the same time was an area of rot and corrosion to the left-hand chassis rail.

The engine bay looks presentable without being pristine and from our brief drive we can report the car starts ok, with just a slight squeal, no doubt from a belt.

It runs and drives as one would expect from a marque of this period. The brakes work fine and the steering doesn’t seem to pull to the left or right. We did notice a slight flat spot when accelerating briskly – we suspect a tune up of the carburettors would likely improve this.

We would mention that the car has been little used in many years, so there may be other issues which come to light when the car is pressed into more regular service.

Let us start with the MoT history. The car passed its latest test in October of this year with no advisories whatsoever. Prior to this, it was last examined in 2016, and the extensive list of fails and advisories have been comprehensively addressed.

Prior to our seller’s ownership, there is an invoice from a gearbox specialist in Leeds from which we can see the layshaft and rollers were replaced (£720).

In 2020 the left-hand fuel tank was replaced (the right-hand unit was done in 2013) and a new fuel pump was fitted.

Our seller had much work done by two specialists and amongst the extensive work carried out is the following:

New slave clutch cylinder

Replace all dampers with very good used parts

Replace radius arms

Replace flexible brake hoses

Clean and grease propshaft

Adjust rear brakes

Refill differential

Clean and refinish heat shields

Replace fuel lines

New front dampers

New track rod ends

Check and clean front axle components

Replace front wheel bearings

Extensive suspension work

If our maths is correct, our seller has spent the princely sum of £9,761 in total.

The XJC is a most usable and desirable classic car and good ones are getting scarcer by the minute.

This car has been subject to a vast amount of expenditure in the last few months, and this coupled with a recent MoT test with no advisories should give the car’s new owner some confidence.

There are undoubtedly still some cosmetic jobs to complete, but the car is eminently usable as it is and will draw admiring glances wherever it travels.

So, if a luxurious, rapid, and desirable classic car is your heart’s desire, we would suggest placing a bid without delay.

We estimate the car will sell for between £20,000 and £25,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car is located at our headquarters near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, so to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.