2005 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible 4.2

Welcome to our latest listing a Jaguar XKR-S from 2005. With just 48,000 miles on the odometer, it’s had just 3 previous owners and comes with a full service history.

In the care of the vendor for the past four years, he’s spent well over £7,000 on it during that time on maintaining, protecting, and improving it. A long-time enthusiast, the XKR-S joined an E-Type in his collection.

A reluctant sale, it is only up for grabs now because the vendor needs the space. But his loss could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for to buy the ultimate iteration of the classic Jaguar XK8. Offered with a very sensible reserve, surely cars of this quality and condition can’t stay this cheap for much longer?

The Quartz coachwork looks stunning; it’s easy to forget just how beautiful the XK range is and the combination of this car’s colour and the XKR-S’s bonnet vents, mesh radiator grille, and sleek profile are a winning combination.

It’s all in great shape too, with barely a mark on it. The shutlines are good, and the doors open and close as they should, latching securely. It really doesn’t have a bad angle, and we envy the car’s new owner being able to gaze back at it after parking it up on a summer’s evening.

And, speaking of the summer, the folding black hood is in a very good condition, being free of rips, tears and other damage. It fits tautly when raised, and lowers on command. It also appears to be weathertight, with no water marks or stains to the interior of the car.

The rear window is glass and contains a heated element, making the Jaguar a genuine, all-weather sportscar. The supplied tonneau cover, which covers the roof when it is furled, is in good shape and looks to have been hardly used. A new wind deflector was fitted when the vendor first bought the car four years ago, this being one of the very few optional extras that wasn’t fitted as standard to the run-out XKR-S.

The car’s unique nine-spoke, 20-inch BBS alloy wheels with their stainless steel trims were professionally refurbished in August 2019, and so are looking spectacular, with not a mark on them.

Interestingly, the MOT tester pointed out that the Jaguar’s front tyres were getting low back in March. Despite the car passing its MOT with flying colours and knowing he would be selling it shortly, the owner fitted two brand new Pirelli P-Zero tyres anyway, because that’s the sort of bloke he is.

Of course, it goes without saying that the rear tyres are matching Pirelli P-Zeros, and that they have good tread on them.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres like this are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

There are no issues with the car’s exterior bar a very minor blemish at the base of the nearside front wing. There is also a small piece of rubber missing from the rear offside tyre; please see the photos for details.

The Recaro leather sports seats are in fine fettle, being as comfortable as you’d expect of a Jaguar, and as supportive as you would hope given you are at the helm of a nigh-on 400bhp sportscar. The tiny rear seats might be more decorative than useful, but they’re matching Recaros and would be big enough to enable you to treat your (young) grandchildren to a day out in your new and slightly loud British sportscar.

The wooden veneer trim is an unusual but attractive hue, and is in great condition. It’s the same boring story with everything else; the door cards, carpets, roof lining, and trim are all very good and in need of nothing. It is clear that this car’s 48,000 miles have been very gentle ones, and its owners have been unusually meticulous in the way they have used and maintained it.

Which means that the boot is very clean and neatly organised. Home to the spacesaver spare wheel, toolkit, the sat-nav system’s DVD player and a CD multi-changer, it also contains the original factory fitted phone and sat-nav systems. These could both be reinstalled in the car very easily should the new owner wish to do so.

Problems are barely worth mentioning, but for completeness the driver’s seat has light creasing to it, and the interior and boot could both do with hoovering.

Oh, and if you’re still unsure about whether to bid or not, can we point out that the car wears window stickers boasting membership of both the GRRC and the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club. Life goals for us all, right there.

The XKR-S was last serviced on the 17th of March 2020 by Tom Lenthall Ltd., the well-known independent Jaguar specialists. The vendor has spoken to the garage and it has confirmed that it is happy to speak to any prospective bidders on the phone to give its opinion on its excellent condition.

Previous recent work by Tom Lenthall includes a new output shaft seal and Lambda sensor in June 2019, fitted at a cost of just over £400. The same garage also fitted new rear brake discs and genuine Brembo pads, and gave the Jaguar a change of gearbox oil and filter, in March 2019 too. This work cost just over £1,100 and also included a new output shaft seal and new anti-roll bar rubber bushes.

March 2019 saw the car received a service and its annual MOT, and April 2018 saw the car’s rear differential being refurbished.

The XKR-S was professionally undersealed in May 2016 when the vendor first bought the car. He also elected to have a new Milltek performance exhaust system fitted at the same time, plus an ECU remap. The whole lot set the owner back almost £3,000 but has left the car very well protected against the winter salt. There have been no issues with the sills, a renowned XK weakness.

And so it goes on. The invoices are online for you to see, but suffice it to say that this is a very well maintained example of a rare and much sought-after convertible British sportscar.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it goes like stink and, as you can hear in the video, sounds incredible.

The Jaguar’s MOT expires in April 2021. The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever bar the likely need for two new front dampers when it is next tested. The record also confirms the car’s low mileage.

The car also comes with a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it, plus that well-stamped service history booklet.

(Of note is the fact that the service history booklet is missing its service stamps for 2016, though the invoice for this is in the records. The same goes for this year’s annual service and MOT. Tom Lenthall Ltd carried out both services, and the owner will arrange for them to enter the appropriate stamps in due course.)

Oh, and the car used to wear the cherished registration of F6 PMS, but has now reverted back to SG55 HTO, just in case this causes any confusion when you’re doing your research.

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 the very highest 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.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

The Jaguar XK8 and XKR have been something of a slow burn; while the price of the Aston Martin DB7 has long started its exorable and predictable rise, that of the Jaguar XK8 range still has some way to go before it is seen as a Grade A investment. It’ll happen, that’s for sure, but just not right now.

Which is bad news for the vendor but great news for those of you with a shrewd eye for a future investment but aren’t prepared to compromise your driving pleasure to get it.

Because, while the Jaguar XK8 drives very well indeed, the supercharged XKR is fantastic being ultra-quick AND comfortable AND cossetting in the way only a grand touring Jaguar is. Reliability is also much better than you might fear too, which makes this a very practical classic (semi-) supercar.

As a pampered low mileage example, this is one for the Jaguar enthusiast or collector, too. Its provenance and service history should mean that it is reliable enough for someone who wants one to use as it was intended.

Or, given its condition, it might end up as the centerpiece in someone’s classic car collection. After all, it is an immaculately preserved example of the very last and most desirable of the first generation X100. It also might just be one of the best, if not THE best, Jaguar XKR-S on sale in the United Kingdom today.

Which makes its guide price of between £14,000 and £17,000 an absolute steal. If it had any other badge on the bonnet but this one you’d be looking at two or three times the money for no additional benefit.

And remember, cars from the nineties and noughties are something of a sweet spot for classic car enthusiasts, offering the analogue driving experience we all crave alongside most of the safety and reliability offered by more modern, but sterile, cars.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.