2001 Jaguar XK8

With just three former keepers, this 2001 Jaguar XK8 is finished in Carnival Red with a white leather interior. A wonderfully vibrant colour scheme, this V8-powered Jaguar coupé is still showing only 75,000 miles on the odometer.

In need of a little freshening up, it’s being offered with a very sensible guide price and *drum roll* no reserve, so will sell from the very first bid.

So, if you’re looking for an XK8-shaped project to keep you occupied this winter, then this might just be the car for you!

The Carnival Red coachwork looks nice, with a decent shine to it and good panel alignment. It’s one of the most beautiful shapes of its era and this hue highlights the its lineage and relationship to the E Type.

The OEM alloy wheels look to be in good shape with only minor scuffs. The tyres are a mixed bunch but look to be legal, even if a couple of them are starting to crack with age.

Faults? Well, the windscreen is starting to delaminate and there is some corrosion on the surround. There’s the usual smattering of stonechips, dinks, and minor marks too, plus rubbing marks on the corners and the odd touched-in scratch.

None of these looks serious so we’d recommend you make sorting out the corrosion on the offside rear wing your first job.

White leather might not sound like the most sensible choice but the condition and cleanliness of this one shows that it ain’t necessarily so. Sure, there’s some colour loss on the edge of the driver’s seat and some cracking on the base but that’s only to be expected given its age and the rest is very good indeed.

As is the walnut veneer, which is still bright and largely undamaged. It’s the same story with the carpets and headlining, the door cards and the dashboard, all of which are pretty good.

Work to do? Well, we can see the new owner might want to look for a replacement driver’s seat and centre armrest but that’s only because the rest of the interior is good and these two do rather let the side down a little. Maybe a new gearknob too, if you’re feeling flush.

Other than that, we think some elbow grease and a dollop of TLC would life the cabin nicely and at little further cost.

As you can see, the XK8 starts and runs very well. There are no warning lights illuminated on the dashboard either, and the seller tells us that it “drives really nicely”.

The engine bay is workmanlike but there’s no getting around the fact that the XK8 will need the attentions of a welder’s torch underneath soon.

As you can see, the XK8 starts and runs very well. There are no warning lights illuminated on the dashboard either, and the seller tells us that it “drives really nicely”.

The engine bay is workmanlike but there’s no getting around the fact that the XK8 will need the attentions of a welder’s torch underneath soon.

History Highlights

The Jaguar’s service history is recorded as follows:

• 12.08.01 and 9,934 miles – service at Appleyard Jaguar Bradford

• 10.07.02 and 19,732 miles – service at Appleyard Jaguar Bradford

• 19.02.03 and 30,225 miles – service at Appleyard Jaguar Bradford

• 17.10.03 and 40,550 miles – service at Appleyard Jaguar Bradford

• 15.06.04 and 50,603 miles – service at Appleyard Jaguar Bradford

• 04.07.06 and 54,004 miles – service at an independent garage

• 18.04.11 and 60,130 miles – service at an independent garage

The mileage was warranted as being accurate to the vendor when he obtained it but, like so many older cars, the paper trail is less complete than he would like.

That said, the XK8 does come with the book pack, a printout of its MoT history, and that stamped service history.

It is also MoT’d until November 2022 and the recent Vehicle History Check doesn’t show anything of note.

With just three registered keepers in its lifetime and under 76,000 miles on the odometer, this is vibrant red XK8 is ideal for the classic enthusiast who derives their pleasure from tinkering and fettling, something who enjoys bringing faded treasures back to life.

So, no, this is not a concours Jaguar XK8 but then it’s not going to come with a concours price tag, either.

We think the dust will settle somewhere between £5,000 and £8,000 but it’s going to sell from the very first bid because the seller is happy to offer it with no reserve.

With a long, cold winter ahead of us and energy bills on the rise, you could dodge hypothermia by huddling behind your MIG’s torch while you breath new life in to the old girl.

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’.