1989 Jaguar XJS V12

This tidy-looking Jaguar XJS Cabriolet has had only three owners over its lifetime, the second one keeping the car for 24 years. The third keeper, Douglas, has spent a considerable amount of money rehabilitating some of the more hard-to-get-to (read expensive) areas.

‘It’s the parts that you can’t see where it’s had work done,’ he explains. ‘It’s had a new front and rear sub-frame assemblies, a new fuel tank, as well as the brakes and the suspension refurbished.’

That not inconsiderable list of jobs (totalling some £13,000) was undertaken by Jaguar specialist Andy Harvey at ‘Just XJS’.

Thinking about how the car drives, Douglas says; ‘The [new] suspension is a dream, the car is super quiet and there’s certainly enough power for any situation.’

The convertible is of course powered by Jaguar’s legendary 5.3-litre V12, so wofting comes as part of the package.

This 53,000 mile car is in a very popular colour scheme; red over cream leather, though Douglas is a little less happy with the bodywork than he is with the recently-refurbushed underneath.

‘It’s still a good-looking car, though there are one or two bits on the body that could do with tidying up,’ he notes.

We’ll get to looking at those, but with the summer already on us, it’s probably more important to note that this is very much a car you can drive and enjoy now.

Walking around the Jaguar, the overall impression of the paintwork is good – with room for improvement. There are small areas around the car which will need attention. There is a rust bubble below the hood towards the rear on the driver’s side and some small areas on both sides where the sills meet the body panels where the paint is lifting. There is also a blemish in the finish near the boot lid lock and some small scratches here and there. The paint is peeling around the lower left corner of the boot lid near the lights.

Generally, the fit of the panels is very good, with consistent shut lines all around the car – especially that long, elegant bonnet. It’s also nice to see that the discreet growler badge has been retained, rather than a leaping Jaguar bolted on. The bumpers fit well, save perhaps for a slight slant on one of the front nearside segments. The chrome in these areas is good (and fitting well to the plastic and steel elements), while the chrome around the headlights is also clean and bright. The steel around the headlight mounts looks good – sometimes a problem area on these, and the radiator grill is straight. At the other end, the rear valance where the exhaust pipes come through also appears good.

That big chrome windscreen surround also retains a good smooth finish with a windscreen seal that maintains a good colour. The chromed mirror mountings remain very smart and their rubber surrounds very tidy. One or two light seals around the car have a slight greyness on the odd edge, but this is very minor.

Some work to be done, but still a smart-looking car.

The cream leather is largely in very good condition. The colour has not faded and seat panels show only a light patina, with cushions and bolsters retaining their shape well. One blemish is the piping on the outer edge of the driver’s seat back. The leather has worn and then plastic beading is bare.

The leather door cards are basically good, though with one or slight creases towards the joins. There is slight rust staining in several places from the chromed metal strips and the brackets holding the door cards. The panel on the driver’s door has also come away at the bottom. Hinge areas are largely clean and free from corrosion.

The interior leather panels in general line up without warping, though there is water staining to carpeted transmission tunnel on driver’s side. (There was some welding/new metal to the footwell floors, so any leaks are no cured).

Looking around the dashboard (and along the tops of the doors), the walnut veneer remains straight, retaining a good grain and colour, and with its glossy lacquer intact. The areas around the gear selector and hi-fi unit look tidy, with the chrome looking smart on the ash tray covers. The large black steering whell is also very smart – no handling wear. And the growler is intact.

The Jaguar’s soft top appears to be in good condition though there is a leak to the seal around the glass rear window. (Douglas reckons this is probably a £100 repair; seal and fitting). It has resulted in some water ingress in the back of the car. Even so, the parcel shelf area actually presents very well – clean carpets and panels with a smart chrome rail – though there is a little untidiness in the corners and in the edges of the stowage bin.

Seals around the cabin are pretty good, though the edge is frayed in one place on the driver’s door side.

A generally presentable and pleasant cabin with some untidy details.

Down below remember is where a lot of money has been spent. Certainly, looking at the underside and undercarriage gives you confidence in the car as a whole.

Suspension parts; springs, dampers, wishbones, as well as steering control arms and joints all look very solid and sound – and eminently serviceable. There is a slight touch of surface rust here and there, but this is of absolutely of no concern. Fuel and brake lines look very healthy.

The weathersealing on the under trays looks good and the panels in general very robust. The fuel tank is of course new and very much intact and the exhaust looks good.

In front of those refurbished brakes, the cast multi-spoke alloy wheels are clean and scuff free – no oxidation/corrosion either – and the tyres are good.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay is workmanlike; no one could ever accuse the V12 plumbing of being neat. Everything appears to be in the right place (though you always get the feeling components had to fight for their space), and everything looks like it will respond willingly to adjustment. There is a little light surface rust/oxidation on parts or brackets, but nothing that would impede a screwdriver or ratchet – or indeed affect performance in any way. H/T leads look good and hoses and pipes sound. Their joins and retaining clips are good too.

All in all, not the prettiest areas of the car, but everything looks solid.

The Jaguar has led a pretty well documented life – all its MOT certificates are here. What most people will be interested in is all that work that Douglas had done at Just XJS and the invoices are all here. There is also a set of photographs documenting some of the work and assemblies.

The XJS also retains a well-stamped service book (in a green leather growler-embossed folder) as well as some sundry invoices from its previous life.

There are many options open to the buyer of this car, the most obvious being run it for the summer and do the restoration jobs over the winter and spring...or simply just run it.

Top condition XJS convertibles and cabriolets sit in the mid-thirties and beyond, so a new owner could do an awful lot of work to this car and potentially still see at least some of his investment returned – not often the case with a classic car.

These Jaguars are popular and handsome touring classics, and this is surely the best engine for a mile-eating GT. And this is a very viable classic, with or without a refresh. We think this entry into open-topped motoring will cost you between £11,000 - £15,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The 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’