1999 Jaguar XK8

Welcome to our latest auction listing, this time for a wonderfully fettled Jaguar XK8. First registered on the 28th of September 1999, it is finished in the classic colour scheme of silver over black leather and showing just four previous keepers.

In the care of the vendor since 2007, it has a fulsome service history, something that’s almost certainly contributed to its excellent MoT record and general condition.

Wearing the valuable cherished registration number of ‘V3 XKB’, which will come with the vehicle, the owner reports that it’s a “reliable and very comfortable car, and one that loves a long journey where it can really relax and stretch it's wheels!”

Being offered with a very sensible guide price, the vendor is only selling it because he lives in central London and finds the cost of driving it inside the ULEZ prohibitive. But, he has sufficient faith in the quality and integrity of his car (and in you lot…) to offer it with no reserve, so it’ll sell from the very first bid.

Having been titivated a couple of times in the past, work that has included having the rear wheelarches painted, the bodywork looks lovely. Still showing good shutlines and panel alignment, the paintwork still shines nicely and the overall presentation says only good things to say about its couple of decades on this planet.

Almost completely free of rust, too; in fact, the only minor spots we can see (and they are very minor) are the nearside top of the boot aperture, the lower section of the rear nearside wing, and the offside sill: please see photo numbers #92, #148, #156 and #159 for details.

The 18-inch, seven-spoke alloy wheels are decent but have been kerbed, so will need refurbishing. They’re shod with ‘Sunny’ tyres on the rear axle, and ‘Alventi’ on the front, so the new owner might want to budget for a new set to fit once the wheels have been sorted. They do have good tread on them though, so there’s no desperate urgency.

The glazing is all good too, as are the badges and light lenses. The offside door mirror is new. We have noticed that the windows seem to retract but not always raise back up when the car is locked.

There are four small dents on the roof where someone has clearly walked over it at some point; the owner has looked into having them removed but was advised not to bother as they’re barely noticeable.

There is also a small crack on the rear bumper, a missing badge from under the offside rear light cluster, some alloy corrosion around the windscreen frame and rear side windows, and some peeling lacquer on the boot lid. These flaws aside, it has the usual stonechips and minor marks that any 21-year-old car will show.

All-in-all, the vendor rates the bodywork as a six or seven out of 10, a score we would endorse because, as we mentioned earlier, the work that does need doing is minor and only limited in scope.

If the exterior is a six or seven out of 10, then the interior rates a solid eight or nine. Wonderfully classic in its appeal, the black leather seats and trim are offset by the traditional walnut veneer Jaguar is famed for.

It’s all in great shape, too. The front leather seats are only gently patinated and still firm and supportive, while the rears still look excellent, almost certainly a corollary of the legroom back there…

The rest of the black leather trim is very good, and we have long admired the neatness with which Jaguar stitches it.

The wooden veneer trim is excellent with no serious chips, damage or peeling lacquer. There’s an abundance of it too, something that adds to the car’s wonderful ambience.

The headlining is good, as are the carpets, door cards, and dashboard. The owner tells us that everything in there works although he has never used the cruise control, so can’t comment on that. However, the air-conditioning, which was regassed only recently, is said to be ice cold.

The boot is tidy and even still contains the original tool kit, jack and space-saver spare wheel, all of which remain unused. The underlying metal floor is solid and free of rust but it could do with a hoover and tracing the source of the water that is seeping in.

Problems? Apart from the minor water leak in the boot, nothing really needs your attention; you might like to mess around feeding the seats but that’s more of an excuse to find some peace and quiet in the garage than a job that genuinely needs doing.

The Jaguar has been well serviced over the years, and the work is recorded in the service history booklet as follows:

• 22.09.1999 and 14 miles – pre-delivery inspection by Arthur Royle Ltd

• 20.01.2001 and 9,754 miles – service by Dutton Forshaw Riversay Jaguar

• 02.05.2002 and 18,325 miles – service by Dutton Forshaw Riversay Jaguar

• 07.07.2003 and 25,003 miles – service by Minster Jaguar

• 04.10.2004 and 35,236 miles – service by Rybrook Jaguar

• 22.09.2005 and 45,108 miles – service by Classic Cats

• 24.01.2007 and 48,740 miles – new cambelt and brake pipes plus replacement rear dampers by West Riding Jaguar

• 01.10.2007 and 51,738 miles – service by Hampstead Motor services

• 31.01.2008 and 53,667 – new headlamp plus rear discs and pads by Autotech London

• 09.06.2009 and 61,420 miles – new wishbone by Autotech London

• 26.01.2009 and 59,751 miles – service plus fresh sparkplugs, fuel treatment, coolant, and front discs and pads

• 06.10.2009 and 62,783 miles – two new link arms and a lower wishbone arm by Autotech London

• 26.01.2010 and 63,602 miles – service including new sparkplugs, a wishbone, a wheel bearing and fuel treatment by Autotech London at a cost of £1,400

• 20.01.2011 and 68,099 miles – service including spark plugs, fuel treatment, four new tyres, wheel alignment and some titivation of the bodywork by Autotech London at a cost of £1,600

• 30.03.2011 and (unknown) miles – two new ignition coils by by Autotech London

• 30.11.2011 and (unknown) miles – new sparkplugs by Autotech London

• 07.02.2012 and 70,509 miles – full service including a new drivebelt, waterpump, coolant and hose, and an engine flush by Autotech London at a cost of £1,200

• 25.01.2013 and 72,910 miles – new brake pipe at a cost of £472

• 05.06.2014 and 77,363 miles – service by Glebe Motor Services

• 05.07.2014 and 77,583 – new ignition coil by R.A. Creamer and Son

• 18.06.2015 and (unknown) mileage – two new anti-roll bar linkages and front subframe work by Darcars at a cost of £528

• 16.12.2015 and 86,944 miles – service by Darcars at a cost of £428

• 17.04.2019 and 87,326 miles – new catalytic convertor by Darcars at a cost of £1,000

Other recent work includes a bill for just over £600 in September 2020 for a new lambda sensor, air-mass sensor, over-ride relay and an injector seal. There’s also a recent battery in there.

The work has left the Jaguar running beautifully according to the vendor, a description our short test drive gave us no cause to argue with. Certainly, he tells us that he has used it for many trips up to Liverpool from the capital without problems, a journey is which he tells us the ‘Sport’ button comes into its own…

The engine bay is a little grubby but that’s consistent with the car’s role as a hard-charging usable example; still, if OCD is your thing then detailing it would be a pleasure rather than a chore.

The underside looks to be solid and well protected by a thick coat of underseal. The MoT tester commented in 2013 on the need for some work to the subframe mounts but this work appears to have been professionally carried out and the area then Waxoyl’d to prevent further problems; please see the attached invoices for details.

Mechanical issues are, we’re told, limited to an electric aerial that only rises halfway. Mind you, as it’s been doing that for the past 15 years it’s unlikely to finally let go on your watch, is it?

The XK8’s MoT certificate, which is valid until February 2021, was gained without a single advisory point, something it’s been doing for the past three years.

It has a large number of expired MoT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook, the stamped service history booklet, the full book pack and leather storage wallet, and even the original sales invoice. It also has three sets of keys including the valet key that everyone loses.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other 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.

Look, this isn’t a one-owner-from-new, low-mileage example that could take its place in the centrepiece of a collection. No, it’s much more interesting than any undriveable trailer queen could ever be because it’s a well-fettled, utterly solid car that’s easing its way into middle-age with considerably more grace than any of us.

With a very good service history - albeit one that’s eased off in the past few years as a consequence of its very limited use - it is free of rust and running wonderfully, which leaves the new owner free to either bring it back to a more pristine finish without having to break sweat, or continue driving and owning what is a very usable example of a much-loved modern classic sportscar.

Driven to us from London by the vendor, it is being offered with no reserve. We think the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £4,000 and £7,000, at which point the winning bidder will be able to sit back and celebrate beating the system.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at our Abingdon HQ; 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’.