1989 Jaguar XJR-S Hyper

First registered in late 1989, this particular XJR-S was destined to be a demonstrator for Stratstone Jaguar of Mayfair, London, though it passed into private ownership before it was used as a demonstrator; The car then made its way through three successive keepers between 1989 and 1993, before coming into the care of the current owner in July 1993. Interestingly, the first two registered keepers were the Maxwell Corporation, and Polly Peck International.

In early 2000, the owner took this XJR-S to HYPER in Oxfordshire, to have their ‘MK2’ transformation/conversion carried out.

Whilst perhaps not as widely known as the likes of Lister or TWR, Hyper was arguably one of the best conversion/customisation specialists for Jaguar in its era, with body kits becoming structurally integral to the vehicle (rather than being tacked/bolted on) and years of competition and racing pedigree behind the brand, ensuring that all works were tried, tested and carried out to an exceedingly high standard, with the ex-owner (who is selling this XJR-S on behalf of the registered keeper) stating that the work carried out at Hyper was actually to a higher standard than that of its more well-known competitors…

Specifically, the ‘MK2’ conversion package consisted of the following works:

- Upgraded, adjustable suspension

- Upgraded steering rack bushes

- Stainless-steel tubular manifolds and exhaust, with double-skinned section between the headers and first set of silencers to remove any rattle from the system, with a claimed ~50bhp increase over the stock system

- Full MK2 body kit, fabricated and custom-fitted to the vehicle, including a full respray in Jaguar Metallic Flamenco Red

- Hyper rear spoiler with high-level brake light

- Custom-made HYPER ‘aircraft spec aluminium’ three-piece billet wheels

Notably, prior to fitment of the HYPER body kit, the shell was checked-over to ensure there was no corrosion or other problematic areas, and under-sealed. The kit is then hard-fitted to the shell of the car utilising fabricated brackets, to ensure no cracking or shifting over years of use and enjoyment.

In 2008, the car was then taken back to HYPER for further works and a ‘freshen up’ including fitment of later-model full-electric front seats and a re-trim by Aldridge Trimming, including a one-off Hyper dashboard top, rear parcel shelf, alcantara roof and two-tone seat covers.

Following the above works, the car was used on the road for two years, and subsequently placed into dry storage in 2010, where it sat until recommissioning began in 2019 and continued across a number of years, with a suspension rebuild, full brake system overhaul, new SPAX/HYPER spec shock absorbers fitted, any bushings that required replacement were done, both sub-frames removed, cleaned and repainted, attention to the air-conditioning system, a general service, new battery, removal, cleaning and re-sealing of the fuel tank, injector clean and fitment of four new tyres.

The vendor also notes that the car retains the correct specification TWR/Champion spark plugs, and the vendor believes the engine and gearbox to be original. The true mileage of the vehicle is also believed to be around 110,000 as the speedometer/clocks were changed in 2009.

HYPER as a company was also featured and praised in Jaguar World Monthly magazine, in November 2017, with the succeeding MK3 model being lavished with praise and highly regarded by the journalist reviewing the vehicle, especially regarding the quality and finish of the products.

If all of the above wasn’t quite enough to convince you that this is the car that the XJR-S SHOULD have been, then let Mr Jeremy Clarkson himself convince you:

“It does not take much - about £15,000 actually - to turn a five-grand XJ-S into the British answer to the Dodge Viper. The Hands Hyper XJR-S looks absolutely bloody marvellous […] this little lot (the body kit) turns the rather svelte, gentlemanly standard XJS into a car that looks as aggressive as a gorilla forced to wear evening dress for the first time […] what you’re left with is a truly splendid car to drive. Yes, it handles and yes, the steering is quite superb. But the best bit is that when you put your foot down on the accelerator, it goes whooooooooarrrrrggghhh. A lot.”

Having been refreshed during the aforementioned recommissioning works, the bodywork and paint on this HYPER XJR-S present very well indeed, and still look to be as visually arresting to this day as they were back in the early 00s. In fact, even some of our own consignors - who were, by their own confession, not great fans of the XJ-S - had to stand back, admire the body kit and stated that it is how the XJR-S should’ve looked from the factory.

Naturally, for a vehicle of this age, there is some wear visible to the paint and bodywork, with the following areas catching our eye:

- Swirling in the paintwork on the driver’s door and OSF wing

- Ageing visible on the driver’s quarter light seal and around the rear window seal

- Tiny patch of bubbling on the roof above the driver’s door

- Wear to the nearside rear buttress plastic trim

- Marks to the paintwork on the inner edge of both rear buttresses

- Wear below the rear number plate

- Larger chip to the rear bumper above the O/S exhaust pipe

- Some graphics peeling at the rear of the front wings, in the panel gap between the wing and the door

As you can see, all of these little imperfections are minor, and - overall - this V12-powered sports car remains in excellent condition.

Looking along the flanks of this HYPER-kitted vehicle, the panels look straight and true throughout, with no signs of any accident or impact damage that we could see.

Elsewhere, both the front and rear light units are in very good condition, whilst the HYPER billet aluminium wheels present fantastically, with only a few small imperfections visible during our photo shoot.

Moving inside, the re-trimmed interior with later electrically-adjustable seats, two-tone finish and Jaguar emblem in the rear seats presents very well indeed, having seen very limited use since the trim work was carried out in 2008.

The seats show virtually no signs of any discernible wear-and-tear, whilst the carpets are excellent throughout, and the Alcantara headlining is free of any staining and is taut throughout with no sagging noted.

In the rear, the luggage compartment carpets are showing their age a little more than their cabin counterparts, but remain in good, presentable condition.

An upgraded stereo with flip-out screen and navigation system has been fitted, along with an aftermarket alarm/immobiliser system. The vendor notes that the key fob for the immobiliser system is inoperable, but it is instead operated via a small tag located below the driver side dashboard.

Elsewhere, the HYPER one-off dash top is in excellent shape with no wear or cracking, whilst the steering wheel, door cards and other high-traffic areas remain in very good order throughout, having evidently seen only light, considerate use over the years.

The on-board computer appears to be in full working order, though we did notice that the driver’s side map light is inoperable, and we were unable to test the ‘speed control’ system. The vendor states that other than the aforementioned alarm/immobiliser remote fault, there are no other known issues with the vehicle’s electrical systems, switches or gauges.

Open the front-hinged bonnet, and the 6.0-litre V12 engine is revealed in all its glory. One thing we’re always impressed by here at The Market is just how well-packed this engine is, with Jaguar seemingly using every available inch of space!

The engine itself looks to be in good order, with no signs of any obvious leaks or issues that we could see. The bay/block itself would benefit from a more through detailing to bring it back to its best, and the under-bonnet heat/sound insulation has seen better days.

Firing into life with a purposeful growl and sounding impressively beefy without being overbearing, the stainless-steel exhaust and custom headers on this HYPER XJR-S do their job perfectly, balancing a throaty soundtrack with everyday usability.

Out on the road, the engine performed flawlessly and with plenty of get-up-and-go at its disposal. Being super picky, we did note that the steering wheel was slightly off-centre when tracking straight, and there is a low knock from the offside rear corner.

The most recent service took place in September 2022, whilst the latest MoT exam took place in December 2022, showing a first-time pass with no advisory items.

The vendor notes that due to a number of house moves, as well as a data corruption issue, a large amount of the invoices from the car’s time at HYPER have now been lost. However, the vendor would be more than happy to verify any questions or authenticate any works that the vehicle received whilst in his workshop at HYPER.

As always, we’ve photographed all of the documentation we’ve received here at The Market by Bonhams, and this is available to view at the end of the extensive photo gallery below. For those of you looking for a quick run-down, however, please find a list of highlights below:

- V5 registered keepers document, showing 4 former keepers, current since 1993

- Original order/registration form from Stratstone Jaguar Mayfair, confirming that it was destined as a dealership demonstrator

- Numerous miscellaneous invoices from HYPER

- Recent recommissioning invoices, showing significant expenditure and a full under-seal

- Several old and recent MoT certificates

- HPI check

- Full book pack

Exceedingly rare in standard XJR-S form - with only 25 shown as currently registered - and even rarer with a HYPER conversion, with each HYPER car technically being a one-of-one build, this is an almost unrepeatable opportunity to obtain a recently recommissioned, low-ownership example of a HYPER XJR-S MK2, showing what Jaguar/TWR should’ve done to the XJR-S from the factory.

Offered in very good overall condition and benefitting from significant recent investment, yet still offering potential for the next owner to take the car ‘to the next level’ we estimate this HYPER XJR-S to fetch in the region of £15,000 to £20,000 when the hammer falls.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.