1988 Jaguar SOVEREIGN

This car, we think, is a good, solid example of a justifiably revered and cherished model.

Dressed in very fetching Solent Blue livery with a beige interior,

this is an authentic car whose overall condition is well above average but, nonetheless, has room for improvement.

For its age, the mileage of 101,434 is by no means high and, besides, the hard yards have been done by a 5.3 V12 engine which, we’re prepared to guess, won’t have spent its 32 years testing the boundaries of the rev limiter.

This particular car cost £28,800 in January 1988. It was an expensive car then and, despite a few issues here and there, you can still see why today.

The current vendor, who knows a thing or two about cars, has owned the car for about a year and tells us that what you see is what you get and that he’s confident that there are no lurking horrors. We can attest to the fact that the car drives and handles well, and while it doesn’t emit any puzzling grunts, wheezes, rattles or clunks, we thought the steering felt slightly ‘notchy’ and that there was a hint of a vibration above 50mph.

The car is MOT’d until February 2021 and has no advisories.

It’s not perfect. It’s showing its age in places. There are jobs to do, should you choose to do them. But this is still a lot of car, and a lot of class, for what probably won’t be a lot of money. 

The chromework is in decent condition, the bumpers are straight and the car boasts intact and clearly original coachlines down each of its elegant flanks.

The original ‘pepperpot’ wheels were refurbished in 2016 and are in good condition. The car has matching Pirelli P4000 tyres all round, plus another on the spare in the boot.

Somewhat surprisingly for a 1988 car, the headlight washers/wipers work. The arial no longer works (but the radio does).

Overall, this is a handsome vehicle with no dinks, creases or dents to speak of and a generally good finish of shiny, largely original paint. The shut lines are clean and even and the panels seem broadly untroubled by any significant irregularities, bumps, lumps, scratches or other aberrations.

This is an impression that pretty much holds up on closer inspection, aside from a few stone chips and scuffs, but there are some more notable exceptions to that rule.

Firstly, the bonnet has been resprayed at some point, and, although it’s not a bad paintjob per se, the colour match isn’t quite perfect and, in a certain light, looks somewhat paler in tone and ‘flatter’ than the rest of the paintwork - particularly around the scuttle.

And there is some corrosion. It’s not everywhere, and it’s by no means in the ‘galloping rot’ category, but it’s in a few places.

There is some bubbling around the windscreen on the n/s and at the top of the scuttle. This is a common issue and one that started, for some reason, when Jaguar switched to bonded windscreens. There are also a couple of small scabs on the driver’s door and some bubbling on the o/s windscreen pillar, around the o/s headlight, at the bottom corner of the o/s rear door, on the n/s front wing and here and there around the wheel arches.

We noted with quiet satisfaction the strangely reassuring (on cars of a certain age and class) RAC membership badge on the front grille. 

If you like Jaguar’s unmatched ability to create a special ambience with wood and leather, you’ll like this. The interior is the usual Jaguar symphony of beige upholstery and glossy veneers, and it’s all in really very good condition.

The front seats show less than the amount of wear and tear you’d expect to see on a vehicle of this age, and the rear seats show still less.

The carpets, mats, door cards and headlining are in fine nick, as are the centre console, aside from a small crack, and the dashboard. The veneer on the fascia has a small crack in the varnish on the n/s.

All interior lights work. The trip computer works. So, too, does the aftermarket radio (but the arial doesn’t). There is an isolator switch for the battery.

The dials and gauges are fine, except for the rev counter, which isn’t working. The fuel gauge is fine most of the time. The vendor tells us that when it misbehaves, a light tap with a finger is all the encouragement it needs to get its act together.

The change-over between the two fuel tanks works as it should.

The AC will need regassing. All buttons and switches work.

The capacious boot is in good condition and still has the original Jaguar toolkit in its case. 

The very, very full engine bay (it’s a V12) is neat and tidy. The undersides have been re-bitumined and appear rot-free and in decent condition, save for a few spots of superficial rust. The car has had all appropriate cavities Waxoyled. The stainless steel exhaust system is in good condition and has had sections replaced recently.

Good, trustworthy examples of this model are increasingly hard to find. Although there are some gaps in this car’s service history, we’re confident that these aren’t concealing some unspeakable horrors or dark secrets and that the mechanical and structural integrity are in keeping with the generally good cosmetic condition of the vehicle. 

Its mileage today is 101,434. In 2011 it had covered 96,771 miles. So, it’s not gone too far in the last decade.

There are quite a few missing years in the service history, but there are some bills and invoices to cover the gaps.

In (relatively) recent years, money has been spent on the following:

* Battery cut-off switch and new over mats - 2012

* Refurbished ‘pepperpot’ wheels - 2016

* New calipers, discs, lines, hoses, belts, fuel pump. Firing sequences and coil packs checked, distributor serviced, fuel tanks checked, fuel pressure regulator valve cleaned. All wires checked in all looms. ECU, fuses and relays checked - (100,655 miles) - 2015

* New pads, caliper, wheel bearing - 2018

* New intermediate and centre box pipes – 2019

The service book records the following service history:

* Hollingbroke Jag – 998 miles - 27.7.88

* P.V. Dobson - 1,888 miles - 4.4.89

* P.V. Dobson - 5,748 - 3.2.98

* P.V. Dobson - 6,375 - 16.4.97

* P.V. Dobson - 6,742 - 11.5.98

* P.V. Dobson - 7,249 –-11.2.99

* P.V. Dobson - 13,711 - 18.8.99

* P.V. Dobson - 20,322 - 6.7.2000

* P.V. Dobson - 29,335 - 26.6.01

* P.V. Dobson - 41,960 - 12.6.02

* P.V. Dobson - 46,866 - 7.7.03

* P.V. Dobson - 55,805 - 13.7.04

* P.V. Dobson - 64,464 - 8.7.05

* P.V. Dobson - 84,694 - 14.7.06

* P.V. Dobson - 87,150 - 6.2.07

* Stratstone Jag - 90,010 - 18.8.08

* Bensport Rolls & Bentley - 101,330 - 20.2.20

The car comes with a thick wad of bills, invoices, receipts and MOT certificates, plus a selection of original service books, manuals and handbooks. 

This car may have been manufactured in 1988, but its evolution from the Series I and II XJs places it a decade earlier spiritually.

The aesthetics and ambience are inherited from earlier models, and that tangible legacy speaks of a time when you could smoke in a Tube train carriage, when the only people who typed were typists, and when it was OK for a man to wear a fur coat.

It seems to us that this is a good and honest example of a classy, high-quality, top-of-the-range motor that’s survived most of what’s been chucked at it over the years with integrity and resilience.

Yes, there is some rust here and there. And, yes, there are plenty of bits and pieces for a keen restorer to get stuck into. But, equally, this is a car that works as it should and can be driven and enjoyed just as it is.

The choice, should you wish to accept it, is entirely yours.

Hence, we have the confidence to offer this car for auction with no reserve.

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’.