1983 Jaguar XJS V12 HE

This well presented and highly original XJ-S is being sold by a super model Kendra Spears, who is also known as Princess Salwa Aga Khan. This car comes with record of its date of manufacture of 30th June 1983, and has only ticked up a modest 61,620km over its 40 years.

This left-hand drive XJ-S offered here was exported new to Düsseldorf, Germany in August 1983. In 1998 the car was imported into The Netherlands and received a 1989 Dutch EU registration. The last Dutch owner bought the car in 2003 and it was kept garaged by them until sold to the E-Type Center Europe in the Netherlands. E-Type Center advertised the XJ-S as having been recently re-commissioned at a cost of more than €10,000, and showing an original 60,000 kilometres on the odometer. In May 2017 the Jaguar was purchased as a gift for Princess Salwa Aga Khan by her husband, Prince Rahim Aga Khan. Now based in the US, the car has not been getting much road time, leading to the vendor’s decision to sell it. This XJ-S still is in its original colour combination of Rhodium Silver with black leather interior. Its specification includes automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering, cruise control, electric windows, original radio and speakers, original headlamps and wheels, front and rear seatbelts. The car also retains its spare wheel and original jack. A well equipped and extremely comfortable long-distance cruiser in excellent original condition, this beautiful XJ-S is offered with a Jaguar Heritage Trust Certificate, UK V5 registration document, and numerous repair and service invoices.

The car has been well looked after, having passed its most recent MOT on 30th December 2021 where it benefited from a comprehensive service at the same time. The car comes with invoices showing that the best part of £6,000 has been spent over the vendor’s five years of ownership.

This car comes in its original rhodium silver finish. The chrome work to the bumpers, window surrounds, and door mirrors are both in good condition, with no apparent signs of any tarnishing. The only imperfections worth highlighting are some mild blemishes around the petrol cap and door sill. It’s comforting to see that around the headlamps and front wings look tidy and both front and rear wheel arches look good too, as does the bonnet and along the wing mounting flanges.

The black leather interior is all original and, considering it is nearly 40 years old, it is in good order with just some signs of patina to the driver and passenger seat, commensurate with the car’s age. The dashboard is in good condition with no evidence of splits to the top. The light walnut veneer on the dashboard and centre console is also in nice condition. The instruments are reported to be working as they should, with no evidence of wear to the icons, switches or the automatic gear stick.

The door cards are in good order and the headlining shows no signs of any sagging. The carpets look to be in fine order which indicates that the floor pan is of sound integrity, too. There are some light marks on the centre console but these should come out with an upholstery cleaner. The boot looks tidy and benefited from a new lining back in 2017 and comes furnished with a spare wheel.

This V12 is near bombproof, particularly as this example has been serviced and cared for correctly, and regular oil changes have taken place. The car had a service back in 2017 which show that the car is leak free. As with all V12s, the back set of spark plugs on V12s are difficult to get to and the exhaust manifold gasket can be susceptible to dying young. However, in the words of the vendor’s representative there’s nothing of that sort to worry about here, as “this is a genuine car in really good condition”. The other thing to note is that if anything were to go wrong, all servicing parts and mechanical components are widely available and specialist help is always to hand.

The structural integrity of the underside looks solid and there doesn’t appear to be any evidence of corrosion or leakage. The only thing to bear in mind is that the rear suspension is housed within a subframe that also contains the differential, which can make suspension repairs a bit challenging, if required.

As mentioned, this car is highly original, and has been well looked after. In addition to regular servicing and MOTs, the car benefited from new disc brakes, two new rear callipers and four new fulcrum seals, as well as a new power steering rack in 2019. The vendor’s celebrity is also of significance.

This is a chance to get behind the wheel of a well sort after XJS of provenance thanks to the status of the vendor. For travelling long distance the XJ-S is second to none, offering an elegant blend of well-behaved town-and-motorway conduct alongside the brutal capacity to eat corners and tear up the tarmac. XJ-S prices have steadily risen as E-type values have spiralled out of control, so it’s probably a decent investment. Low mileage examples, like this one are highly desirable and we estimate that this British classic will fetch somewhere in region of £12,000 - £16,000.

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’.