1994 Jaguar XJS V12 6.0

By any measure you care to use, this car is in excellent condition.

It came to the UK from the US in 2017 and has been in the vendor’s ownership since mid-2019. Since then, he has been fearless and unstinting in throwing generous amounts of cash at anything and everything that needed replacing, refurbishing, sorting, fettling or tweaking. The team that did most of the work, we’re told, has a boss who turns the radio off when driving so that he can better hear any squeaks, rattles, sighs or groans that shouldn’t be there. That’s the kind of bloke you want restoring your car.

The result is a vehicle that’s seriously hard to fault and is better in practically every way than either its age or mileage should dictate.

How has it managed to stay in this phenomenal condition for so long?

Because it’s lived most of its life relaxing in the Caifornian sunshine. Probably while enjoying a cocktail and listening to The Beach Boys.

It hasn’t spent a quarter of a century shivering outside in the rain or crashing through slush-filled potholes on salt-encrusted roads.

In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it had spent most of its life in a centrally-heated living room, up to its wheel nuts in shag-pile in front of the TV. 

Take a look at the photos or come and see for yourself. We think you’ll agree that this is really quite special.

The gleaming, Glacier White paintwork is newly applied and appears to have been done to a very high standard. The original paintwork had paid the price of too many years sunbathing on west coast boulevards and freeways.

We’re assured that the restorers found no rust at the time of the respray and we can’t see any now, save for the odd spot of superficial rust dust on the undersides and mechanicals.

The panels and shut lines are clean, even and free from any dinks, creases or evidence of rust. All chrome work is shiny and bright.

With the exception of the rear o/s light cluster, which has a small crack and some abrasion marks, there are no scuffs on the bumpers or evidence of stone chips or other nicks and scrapes. There isn’t even any road rash to speak of on the valances or below the sills.

The matching Maxxis tyres are brand new. The immaculate alloys were given a £400 diamond cut refurbishment in 2020.

The car has been fitted with Euro-spec facelift headlamps adjusted for UK roads. These are very hard to find nowadays and have a scarcity that makes them both rare and expensive. It should be a relief to the successful bidder that someone else has done the hard work of tracking them down.

The roof looks new because it is. The new soft top and headlining were recently fitted at a cost of nearly £1300 and the mechanism works perfectly. The tonneau cover is also new and, though unmarked, if we were being really picky we’d say that its fit is marginally loose in places.

The boot lid can be a bit stiff to open and it might be that the locking mechanism just needs to be shown a can of WD40.

Nobody does the wood and leather thing better than Jaguar, and this car is a particularly fine testament to the skills of the saddler and French polisher.

The ‘Barley’ coloured leather upholstery is in very good condition generally – as it should be given that it was recently treated to £600 worth of leather cleaning and conditioning.

The door cards, dashboard and centre console are all in fine condition, as are the carpets and mats, which were replaced at a cost of over £400 in 2019.

The carpet in the driver’s footwell has a couple of marks on one side, but we’re confident these would make a hasty exit if shown a soapy cloth.

What else can we moan about? Ummm – oh, there are a couple of stiches coming loose in the handbrake gaiter. Also, the cigarette lighter in the centre console would benefit from some suitable adhesive to put it securely back in its allotted space.

And, yes, the front seats have a little light creasing around the bolsters. But who doesn’t?

There really isn’t anything to raise a frown, let alone ring alarm bells.

Everything electrical works as intended, as far as we can tell. The A/C blows cold and hard, which reflects the fact that it was recently refurbished and fitted with a new condenser and air-drier kit.

It’s the same story of pristine loveliness in the rear (which is only useful for small pieces of luggage, children, contortionists or masochists) and in the boot.

Lift up any carpet or mat anywhere and you’ll see…..no rust.

This car has done most of its living in California. This tells us two things.

Firstly, that it comes from a part of the world where people start panicking and ringing help lines if they see a cloud.

Secondly, that it comes from a part of the world where salt is rubbed around the rim of a Margarita glass, not chucked all over the roads in industrial quantities like it is in the UK.

Ergo, Californian cars almost always have undersides with less corrosion than their British counterparts. And that’s very much the case here.

The engine bay is in equally fine fettle, with everything clean and tidy and in its right and proper place.

The vendor has recently replaced a coil, the alternator, PAS pump, oil cooler pipes, fuel pump, bushes and a variety of hoses and pipes. All sorts of engine sensors have been replaced, including temperature, oil pressure and LAMBDA sensors.

The car has an MOT - with no advisories - until 10.11.21. It comes with all manner of bills and invoices, plus a Jaguar Heritage Certificate of Authenticity.

What it doesn’t have is a fully stamped-up service book going back to 1994.

In our opinion, its condition more than makes up for the absence of documentary evidence and we feel there’s enough proof of recent work carried out to put anyone’s mind at rest.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos and paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

However, if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

We think this XJS V12 must keep a portrait of a decrepit, rapidly ageing, rot-bucket, banger version of itself in a Californian attic somewhere.

It’s a fabulous vehicle in exceptional condition and a credit to the iconic image of one of the finest high-speed intercontinental GT cruisers of its, or any other, era.

It’s been properly refurbed and fettled, and the amount of time and money lavished on it really shows.

Someone else has done all the heavy lifting. You get to just enjoy the car.

We’re confident to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £15,500 - £20,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ 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’.