1990 Jaguar XJ-S HE

Having been in the seller's ownership for almost a year, he is selling it to make way for his next purchase. The previous owner bought the car from the Classic Car Club in London thirteen years ago after lusting after one for years. A fan of the TV programme The Saint as a child, he took a deep breath and took the plunge despite having nagging fears about the model’s reliability. And you know what? He never regretted it.

He even ran it for a while as his daily driver (“it never once let me down”) before handing it over to a friend to store on his behalf near Bristol. This change of registered keeper was notified to the DVLA and it was then registered back to him when he re-took possession; this is shown on the V5 Registration Document, but in reality it never left his ownership.

He then passed it onto Knowles Wilkins Engineering (better known as KWE and probably the country’s foremost XJ-S experts) to recommission & upgrade it before handing it on to the Classic Car Club again for them to use on an occasional basis; he knows as well as you and me that not using a car is the fastest way to ruin a good ’un, so he let them use it for a while to keep things lubed and running smoothly.

When it came back to him about four years ago, it was, he says, “looking a little tired”. So he did what we’d all love to do and sent it off to be restored. This cost an absolute fortune but was worth every penny as it is now one of the best we’ve ever seen.

This particular XJ-S' last two owners are both notoriously fussy, but intelligent enough to know that every hobby has a cost and emotionally empathic enough to understand that this has been a project that was driven by the heart, rather than the head; having been previously used as a daily driver you see, and the previous owner has fond memories of shuttling his children around in it.

You’ll find receipts for more than £20,000 from folk like KWE, as well as A.V. Classics. The work done includes a full respray, refurbishing the interior and wheels, and ensuring that it is mechanically fit and running perfectly.

Black ‘n’ chrome is a classic combination, and this XJ-S looks stunning finished like this. It also drives wonderfully; the boss came in after test driving it using expressions like “utterly gorgeous” and “drives beautifully”. He’s a hard man to please and praise like this is rare, so please trust us when we tell you that this is one of the best we’ve ever seen.

Best of all (from your perspective rather than the owner’s…) it isn’t going to sell for much. This is a reflection of the state of the classic car market at the moment rather than the car itself, so you could pick up a wonderfully usable V12 XJ-S for peanuts.

Jaguar Jet Black is a notoriously unforgiving colour, so the fact that our boss has graded this one's paint as a solid 9.5/10 is remarkable – and that he thinks a decent machine cut and professional polish would bring it up to a ten is even more so. Its condition is thanks to the previous owner's ministrations (including some bodywork reparations by KWE) as well as a high-quality bodywork restoration and respray by A V Classics of Dunstable in September 2017. In this period, all rust was carefully cut out and rewelded (see the photo gallery for pics of the works). It also refurbished the alloy wheels at the same time, and the final bill came to more than £17,000. An XJ-S lives and dies by the body condition, the vendor states this one is now in tip-top condition, and we see no reason to disbelieve him.

Take a look at the pictures for yourselves – or, even better, come and see it in the flesh – and tell us that he’s wrong; the paint glistens, the panels are excellent, and they hang together beautifully. The rubber door and boot seals are all still quite new, so the doors and boot lid all close snugly and wind noise is kept to an absolute minimum.

The external chromework is nigh-on perfect, as are the badges and lights. It’s an utterly gorgeous example of the breed and its external condition belies its mileage.

The 15-inch BBS-style alloy wheels were refurbished a while back and are still in stunning condition. Shod with matching high-quality 235/60 R15 Pirelli P600 tyres that have plenty of life left in them.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres 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.

The magnolia leather interior is in a fabulous condition. The seats, which are piped in black and have been re-Connolised, feel virtually as firm and supportive as the day they were fitted and are practically unmarked. The seat heaters work too, as does the adjustable lumbar support. That’s unusual, as aficionados will appreciate.

The rear seats have only been used occasionally, so they’re unmarked and looking even more fabulous than the fronts.

The door cards are in great shape, as is the (recently replaced) headlining. The carpets are good, as is the dashboard, chromed controls and wooden veneer trim. We especially like the matt, knurled-effect dashboard that sits directly in front of the driver and backs the six main gauges. It’s a much more interesting texture than is usually seen in cars of this vintage, and all the better for being so unusual.

While the XJ-S’s cabin was getting a bit dated by this stage in its life, there’s no denying the quality of the execution - or its longevity as long as it is properly maintained. It really is a very lovely place to be and far more appealing than that of modern Jaguar sportscars, and yet this is exactly the sort of everyday pleasure that comes with classic Jag ownership.

The boot is very clean and tidy and, more importantly, the metal boot floor is solid as you can see from the photos. It is home to a fairly new battery, the spare alloy wheel, and the O/E toolkit, which is missing a spanner. Still, tracking down a replacement on eBay should be cheap, easy and ridiculously satisfying.

A retro-modern Blaupunkt Skagen headunit has been fitted, which features DAB radio and full hands-free Bluetooth capability in a semi-period looking unit. It’s a brilliant choice and one that goes to the very heart of the owner’s determination to bring his car up to the very best possible condition while still maintaining its classic appeal.

Problems are pretty much limited to fettling the non-working air-conditioning and cruise control systems. Oh, and the owner tells us that the door mirrors can be a bit temperamental sometimes.

Fully fettled, the work last year includes a new ABS accumulator, polybushed front and rear suspension, new front fog lights, a rebuilt steering rack, front and rear wheel bearings, a re-cored radiator, and the servicing of the ignition system.

KWE fitted new injectors and a rail, and cleaned and set up the fuel injection system along with their usual replacement of all rubber & perishables . A stainless steel exhaust is fitted, too. Please see the attached invoices for a complete list of the exhaustive work that has been undertaken. As XJ-S experts will now, KWE really know their big Jaguars and are experts in preventative maintenance when doing these works.

We can confirm that it drives very well, and the engine is as strong and reliable as its reputation would suggest.

The engine bay itself is a bit grubby but is honestly presented, which is always preferable to one that has been recently steam-cleaned to hide any evidence of oil leaks.

The underside, on the other hand, is beautifully clean and presented; it’s nice to be reminded from time-to-time that underseal can be used to preserve, rather than to obscure, a car’s condition!

The MOT certificate runs out in February 2021, and the online MOT history shows absolutely nothing of concern. The car comes with a large number of expired MOT certificates, as well as lots of old invoices and bills from the current owner’s time with the car.

The car’s restoration was fully documented and there is a lovely photo album showing the work being carried out along with some ‘before and after’ shots. It also comes with an initial assessment of the car’s condition by KWE back in 2008, along with two bills for the work it carried out on the vehicle, one for £4451 and another for more than £6,700. KWE also supplied a fascinating guide to using and enjoying your XJ-S and there is also a copy of the original sales brochure. Of course, it also has its owner’s handbook and wallet.

The XJ-S also comes with a Production Record Trace certificate from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust showing its original build specification of Jet Black exterior and magnolia leather interior.

This comprehensive history is beautifully presented in a custom embossed presentation box, with its history carefully curated and presented therein. It’s a lovely touch and not something we’ve rarely seen before, but does suggest a very high level of care towards classic car ownership.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please contact us at The Market or click the “Contact Seller” button to arrange an appointment.

Let’s be very clear; this is not a pampered, low-mileage trailer queen. It is far, far more interesting than that; as the seller puts it: “it is such a great car!” He drove it up to us from Cheltenham - and very nearly turned around and drove it home again......

We agree. Because, while you might think that you want a concours, barely used example, you really don’t. You’ll be too scared to use it for fear of devaluing it, which means it’ll sit in the garage stagnating – and you’ll have nothing to drive…

No, what you really want is a car like this. Possibly the best maintained, most usable Jaguar XJ-S coupe on sale today, it is a car that could be taken and shown anywhere and not look out of place. Driven hard and fast too, thanks to all the recent mechanical refurbishment and improvement, and for what we estimate will sell for between £8,500 -£11,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in 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’.