1985 Jaguar XJS V12

Stephen is the owner of this splendid 1985 Jaguar XJS. He purchased the car 30 years ago from an auction in Surrey. After walking in and seeing the car on the block, having a quick look around and listening to the auctioneer describe the XJS, just 2 minutes later he had bid and won the auction.

Supplied by Henlys of London, it was first registered to a company and then to another company who were at the same address. The name change did put another owner on the car but it was in fact the same owners who had changed the company name. Even so, the Jaguar still only has a very low ownership of 3 previous keepers. Listed in the documents section, you can see a list of everything Stephen has done to the car in his 30 year ownership. As you will see, it has been maintained to an extremely high standard with most of the invoice history being carried out at H.A Fox, Guilford, who are a Jaguar main dealer.

Used as a daily commute car throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Stepehen has enjoyed the short commutes into work which has kept the mileage nice and low. The XJS spent a number of years off the road from 2006 until 2015 whilst Stephen was living in the UK and abroad. In that time, the Jag was dry stored and started regularly to keep things ticking over nicely. During the last couple of years Stephen has driven the Jaguar for pleasure every fews weeks on sunny days only. However, at his stage of life contemplating downsizing and moving to smaller accommodation has brought on the decision to part with the XJS.

This 1985 XJS is finished in the lovely Sebring Red, which has been well maintained and cared for throughout its life with what is believed to be 95% original paint. Stephen believes the roof may have seen some paintwork prior to his ownership, possibly by the dealer who fitted the sunroof, but we can’t be sure of this.

Starting at the front of the V12, and the chrome work to the bumper and grille is all in nice condition, with the headlights and indicators free from any cracks. Original paint but low mileage for the age means just a few stone chips to the bonnet edge and lower valance, but definitely less than you would expect on a vehicle of this age.

Around to the shapley flanks of the Jaguar, the door shut lines are nice and equal. There are a couple of dinks and the odd chip, usually caused by someone being careless in a carpark. The bottom of the wings would benefit from a little restoration as there is some corrosion to these areas, along with a couple of blisters to the bottom of the doors, where the quarter panel meets the sill and the bottom of the rear quarter after the wheel arch. These are quite common areas to need some attention on a vehicle of this age and, caught quickly, should not be too much of a problem to sort out for a decent body shop or a handy DIY enthusiast. The windows are all free from any obvious scratches other than you would expect on a vehicle of this age. The chrome trim around them is all in a nice bright finish with no noticeable signs of tarnishing and the same can be said for the door mirrors and handles. The electric sunroof is a glass one which opens and closes as it should. As mentioned, this may have been fitted by the dealer as an optional extra at the time.

Onto the rear, the boot lid aligns well with the shapley rear quarters of the XJS leading up to the narrow rear window. The light clusters are free from any cracks and again, like the front, the car the chrome trim is bright and clean.

Fitted with five-spoke alloy wheels from 1981 onwards, these do have some areas of corrosion where water ingress has found its way under the lacquered finish. Any alloy wheel refurbish specialist would be able to restore these to their former glory. The tyres have quite good tread, but Stephen does mention that they have been on for a number of years.

The XJS is finished with an Oatmeal colour leather which is in a nice original condition with just some signs of patina to the driver’s seat. This could be easily rectified by a leather colouring specialist. Sitting in the driver’s seat you are faced with the burles elm facia to the dashboard and a black top which is free from any splits.

The instruments are working as they should and the odometer has a reading of 67,173 miles. To the centre console, and this has had a wood trim kit fitted to match the dashboard. The original trim is included should the new owner wish to put this back, but we think it looks better matching the dash. Also retained is the original radio cassette. The radio side works fine, but we have lost the Durran Durran test cassette we have. Stephen assumes that the cassette does work, as it did when it was last used.

The carpets are in excellent condition with no obvious wear to the usual driver's heel pad area. The headlining has started to come away in some areas, it looks like the foam behind it has deteriorated with age.

In the spacious boot, the spare wheel and cover sit at the back, with the jack to the left. The wheel brace has been misplaced at some point. The carpet is in a nice clean condition.

The underside of the Jaguar is generally in good condition. There are some areas of light corrosion that could be nipped in the bud to preserve the XJS from any future problems.

The V12 fires up with ease and, as you would expect with any V12, it sounds amazing when the loud pedal is pressed. Stephen reports the car drives wonderfully, it pulls well through the 3-speed automatic and the change is nice and smooth. He also mentioned that after not driving it for a few weeks, the drive up to ourselves at The Market was thoroughly enjoyable.

A service and some repairs carried out in May 2020 by Surrey Jaguar, which included new power steering hoses, gearbox and suspension bushes, saw a bill come in at £1,370.62, but has kept the XJS in a nice drivable condition.

Low ownership and the same owner for the past 30 years is definitely testament to how much the car was loved.

For most of its life the Jaguar has been main dealer maintained, which is another good sign of a well looked after vehicle, you only have to look at the large history file to see this.

Stephen has had an MOT carried out which is valid until the 19th May 2022. One thing to mention on the HPI report, this shows a mileage discrepancy. This is believed to be an incorrect input of the milage back in Sept 1999 on an H. A. Fox service invoice, putting the car around 10,000 miles out but this is not reflected in the various MoT certificates which look to be sequential and consistent with the current odometer reading.

It's quite rare to find a car which looks to be so honest and not hiding anything under some repairs to bodywork. It seems to be a ‘what you see is what you get’ with this one. The same owner for 30 years, low owners, low mileage and just some light restoration to be carried out by a friendly body shop or the hands on DIY mechanic. You will certainly have a lovely XJS to be proud of. Step into the Jaguar classic car market as this is definitely a classic worth investing some time in.

We estimate that the British made classic will bring in the region of £6,000 - £10,000.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and 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’.