1996 Jaguar XJ-S Celebration

This Celebration model XJS 4L Convertible precedes that last production example by 1162 cars, still placing it firmly in the tail end of XJS production. The XJS was first registered in May 1996. The first keeper was believed to have retained the XJS until around 2000 with the second keeper retaining it for a mighty 17 years. A further five keepers cover the period between 2017 and 2022 with the Jaguar having covered around 79,700 miles up until that point. 

Current owner, Keith, acquired the XJS in December of 2022 to become the car’s eight keeper. A mere 120 miles or so have been covered between then and now. The XJS is currently registered as SORN and will require an MoT before use. The last MoT was undertaken in May 2025 at 79,798 miles. With just a little over 2,500 miles covered per year on average and less than 20,000 miles covered in the last 20 years this Jaguar represents a lightly used example of the desirable run-out XJS Convertibles.

Despite its Ford led “relaunch” in 1991, it wasn’t until the last facelift of 1993 that the XJS finally gained its body-coloured covers in the stead of the original rather chunky rubber and chrome bumpers. This combined with updated rear light clusters finally garnered the almost universal approval of the XJS’s many stakeholders. These changes certainly gifted the XJS a more modern and contemporary persona, but also a significantly improved manufacturing process with Ford laser focussed on improving the build quality of the XJS and other Jaguars of the period. 

Our car presents in deep and sophisticated Sapphire Blue and a much-loved hue for XJSs of this vintage. The condition of the original paintwork and bodywork appear very good overall with a good shine exuded and no obvious dents, dings or deformations noted. The paintwork exhibits an impressive rich cobalt /sapphire metallic flake content throughout. Light lenses, and those original front ellipses are a purist’s dream, are clean, clear and undamaged. The cabin glass is equally good, and all the original marque and model badges are present and correct. 

Inevitably enough there are some imperfections to note on what now is, after all, a thirty-year-old car. Numerous stone chips of varying sizes are present especially on the nose and the leading edge of the wheel arch flares. Those modern looking bumper covers exhibit the usual degree of car park related scuffs and scratches. The offside front wing seems to have suffered from some scratching to its upper section.

The fabric hood is finished in a complementary dark blue and is in a decent condition with just the usual light spots in some of the fold creases and no rips, tears or holes immediately obvious. The main external differentiator of the Celebration models are the special, 16-inch, 7J Aerosport alloy wheels. In this case they appear very well presented and are shode with a matching set of Avon ZV5 tyres date stamped from 2016.

The interior of the Celebration models can immediately be identified by the classy looking coffee hued piping to the sporty, high-backed seats. The most subtle of embossed leapers to the headrests and the leather and veneer steering wheel are other key differentiators here, too.

This example is finished with Oatmeal (AEM) hued leather. The deeply bolstered front sports seats are arranged into horizontal, padded box pleats for optimal support and comfort. The condition of the leather is impressive for the car’s age with even the, usually vulnerable, driver’s bolster appearing surprisingly free from significant wear. The outer bolster on the passenger seat appears to have collapsed a little but otherwise the fronts appear in good order. They are electrically adjustable by multi-button controls situated on the doors. The rear cabin is identically trimmed and in excellent condition. 

The top and bottom rolls of the dashboard are finished in a sable hue. The central section is finished with luxurious looking, bright and glossy burr walnut veneer. The XJ40-esque gauges sit behind that original, four-spoke black stitched leather and walnut veneer Jaguar steering wheel. The centre console houses the heating and ventilation controls, and the original Jaguar factory radio / cassette head unit is also fitted here. Door cards are finished in leather, walnut veneer and panels woollen carpet. The bottom of the driver’s side door car exhibits some loose leather and an associated tear. The original sable hued woollen carpets are edge bound in oatmeal leather for added durability. The deep boot features its original, hard wearing grey carpet and provides a home to the full-sized spare wheel and tyre. The hood’s headlining appears original and free from tears and rips if a little marked and stained in places.

Under the long, sleek bonnet lies the 4.0-litre AJ6 engine that was first seen in the XJ40 from 1989 and replaced the 3.6-litre AJ6 engine in the XJS from 1991. The extra displacement was achieved by lengthening the stroke of the 3.6, which increased the power from 199bhp to 223bhp. To increase refinement, the engine featured redesigned pistons and a forged steel crankshaft instead of cast iron, while a revised cam profile with increased lift and reduced overlap improved both low-end torque and idle stability. The 4.0-litre had the option of the Getrag’s 290 five-speed manual or, as in this case, ZF’s 4HP24 four-speed automatic transmission.

The under-bonnet presentation of this XJS looks impressive with everything here looking clean and fresh with no leaks in evidence. Like the rest of the Jaguar, the originality quotient seems to be reassuringly high. The engine bay’s inner panels appear robust and undamaged. As you will see and hear on our accompanying video, the 4-litre engine springs readily to life and revs smoothly with no signs of smoke or unexpected noises. The underside of the car looks to be in keeping with the age and mileage of the car. It would benefit from some additional cleaning under here but nothing untoward was spotted.

The current V5 in the name of the owner is present. As mentioned earlier, the XJS is currently registered as SORN and does not hold a current MoT, with the last one expiring in April of this year. This and very many of the earlier MoT hard copies are also on hand providing an audit trail of the mileage progression to date. 

Other paperwork includes numerous invoices for parts procured and work undertaken across the entire history of the car. It appears that the Jaguar benefitted from a significant spend in 2022, literally a handful of miles ago, as well as at other parts of its history. A six-page document records the service work undertaken by Kings Road Garage between 2011 and 2017 with no expense seemingly spared.

Like many of its British Leyland peers the production methods and workforce of the mid 1970’s and early 1980’s just didn’t do the XJS full justice. One of the benefits of its long production life was that the developments kept coming thick and fast and, under Ford, the production methodologies and development budgets finally caught up with the design. For many the 4L coupe represents the most complete and satisfying exemplar of the breed offering a very satisfying performance to economy to running costs quotient. The run-out Celebration cars represent the apogee of the vastly improved, Ford stewarded models.

This is a fine example of the Celebration oeuvre, too. It presents in a sophisticated and popular colourway and is highly original in every respect. Its sensible original mileage and, clearly, light recent use certainly bodes in its favour. Examination of the paperwork archive also reveals a well-funded maintenance regime and minimal use since. Clearly an example worth…..celebrating (it had to happen!).

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.