1991 Jaguar XJS V12

First registered on the 29th of August 1991 and finished in Solent Blue over cream leather, this wonderfully decadent Jaguar XJS V12 features a comprehensive service and repair history alongside recently refurbished coachwork.

Running beautifully and rated by the boss as ‘very good’, it was in the care of its previous owner for the best part of two decades. Bought by the vendor after a long search for the right car, he, like so many of us, has since found that he’s not using it half as much as he thought he would…

A mechanically sympathetic soul, he understands that not using it isn’t going to do it any favours in the long-term, so is offering it for sale with no reserve in the hope that a Jaguar enthusiast can give it the home it deserves.

The metallic Solent Blue coachwork, complete with the correct silver and red pinstripes down the side, looks terrific. Recently lightly refurbished, the whole car reeks of authenticity and careful curation.

The shutlines, for example, are excellent. The flanks are free of ripples and the doors, boot and bonnet all open and close with authority. The Jaguar ‘leaper’ is present and correct, and the rest of the chromework gleams impressively.

In fact, the whole car shines beautifully in the springtime sunshine and the dark blue hue and overall condition gives it a timeless elegance that means you could take it anywhere without feeling the slightest bit outclassed.

The headlamps are still the original UK-spec ones that are all but impossible to find these days, and they’re backed up by some wonderful Jaguar-branded front foglamps. The other light lenses are equally good bar a small crack to the offside rear (#81).

The subtle front spoiler is in great shape, as is the slightly more obvious rear one.

The 15-inch, cross-spoke alloy wheels are free of kerbing and other damage too, and they’re also shod with recent and matching Pirelli P600 tyres.

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 it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems are few. Aside from the usual stonechips and minor marks there is a small bubble on the offside rear wheelarch (#63), the inside of the driver’s door (#157) and the lower offside front wheelarch (#66) plus some light pitting and rust on the offside front bumper (#70) and a scrape on the nearside corner of the front bumper (#186).

The cream leather seats are only lightly patinated. With just gentle creasing to their faces, the underlying structure is still as supportive and comfortable as ever. The rear seats are, of course, in an even better condition but given that they’re all but useless for full-size adults, that’s not a surprise, is it?

The rest of the interior is as gorgeous as only a Jaguar’s can be; while the traditional wood ‘n’ leather look is so well-trodden these days as to be something of a cliché, interiors like this remind you why everyone ended up doing it.

It’s all in great shape too, with good chrome controls and shiny, damage-free wooden veneer. The headlining is taut and clean, and the door cards are excellent. Heck, lifting the carpets reveals not only solid, rust-free floors but also that the factory fitted foam is still there in between the strengthening ridges in the floor: the previous long-term owner was a proud member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club and the care he lavished on it during his 19 years with the XJS is apparent.

The boot is as good as the rest of the interior. Neatly presented and home to the matching alloy wheel and Pirelli P600 tyre, lifting the very good carpets shows only well-painted metalwork and no rust. There’s what looks to be a recent battery in there too, plus a complete and original equipment Jaguar tool kit.

Oh, and the baby jaguar on the rear parcel shelf was in the car when the vendor bought it. He’s leaving it in there but it’s not a condition of sale that it remains if you’re the sort of heartless brute who would cast it aside as soon as his back is turned…

The Jaguar’s service history is unusually complete, and comprises the following:

• 20.09.1991 and 1,130 miles – service by Dutton-Forshaw Jaguar

• 26.02.1992 and 7,514 miles – service by Reg Vardy Jaguar

• 31.03.1993 and 16,656 miles – service by Reg Vardy Jaguar

• 02.03.1995 and 28,066 miles – service by Reg Vardy Jaguar

• 30.11.1995 and 37,127 miles - service by Preston Jag Centre

• 16.05.1996 and 46,644 miles – service by Preston Jag Centre

• 15.10.1996 and 54,713 miles – service by Preston Jag Centre

• 10.02.1997 and 58,580 miles – service by Tasker & Lacy Ltd, independent Jaguar specialists

• 23.05.1998 and 65,312 miles – service by Tasker & Lacy Ltd

• 21.04.1999 and 70,485 miles – service by T. M. Services, independent Jaguar specialists

• 03.03.2000 and 72,305 miles – Chatsworth Motorsport

• 13.08.2002 and 81,020 miles – HT lads, distributor cap and rotor arm by Bancroft Autos, independent Jaguar specialists

• 03.08.2003 and 81,006 miles – 12 x sparkplugs by Bancroft Autos

• 06.12.2003 – air-conditioning service and converted to R134a by GB Air Control Ltd

• 16.02.2005 and 83,020 miles – new front and rear wheel bearings by Bancroft Autos

• 03.05.2006 and 84,394 miles – oil change and lubrication service by West Riding Jaguar Ltd, independent Jaguar specialists

• 03.07.2006 and 84,779 miles – radiator reconditioned and new oil cooler and associated oil cooling parts plus two new dampers by West Riding Jaguar

• 23.08.2008 – air-conditioning service and re-gas by GB Air Control Ltd following the installation of a new compressor, receiver drier, and expansion valve

• 11.12.2013 and 89,371 miles – miscellaneous fettling of the chassis and braking system by West Riding Jaguar at a cost of more than £1,100

• 22.08.2018 and 90,267 miles – service by West Riding Jaguar

• 02.03.2019 – new battery fitted

• 25.05.2019 and 90,354 miles – air-conditioning system re-charged

The underside has also had some welding to the front chassis legs and inner wings by West Riding Jaguar, plus a replacement front subframe. The invoice on #289 refers.

Running and driving well – the vendor drove it back from North Yorkshire in one trouble-free hit and says it starts first time, every time even after months of inactivity - the only fault we are aware of is the immobilizer, which auto-arms itself after only a couple of seconds before you can push the (broken) face of the key fob against it. If it were ours we’d remove it completely, a job an experience auto-electrician should be able to accomplish in a couple of hours.

The engine bay is pretty tidy but completists might like to detail it a little to smarten it still further.

The underside, on the other hand, needs nothing. Undersealed to protect rather than hide, it is solid and nicely presented without being OTT. Sure, the sealant is peeling in a few places, but a couple of hours with a wire brush, some rust killer and some fresh underseal would see that sorted.

The XJS’s MOT certificate is valid until March 2022, and the only advisory points it’s had since 2007 are for tyres – and that only in the last two years. So, you can be confident that the peeling underseal we mentioned in the previous section is still only a cosmetic issue at this point.

That this is all the MOT testers picked up over the years speaks volumes as to the integrity of this magnificent example and the care it has received over the years. It also stands in stark contrast to the XJSs you tend to see advertised, cars that have lurched from one crisis to another, squeaking their way from one MOT to another by dint of Elastoplast maintenance and goodwill.

It has a 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, stamped service history, book pack, and storage wallet.

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.

The Jaguar XJS’s time has come; after years of being unappreciated and ignored, discerning buyers are starting to understand their unique appeal.

That mighty V12 engine, for example, just gets on with the job of wafting the car’s occupants around at indecently high speeds in almost complete silence while the interior cossets and nurtures like few others.

These traits only hold true as long as you buy the right car though because a poorly maintained and rotten example is capable of breaking you, and your bank balance, faster than anything else in its price range.

So, what you want to see is a thick wad of paperwork and plenty of stamps in the book. An unblemished MOT history wouldn’t go amiss either – and this car delivers on all fronts.

And yet, for all its positive attributes, many folk are still (unnecessarily) scared of ‘em, which keeps the price artificially depressed. This means that this one could be yours for somewhere between £6,000 and £10,000, which is an absolute bargain if you ask us.

Better still, it’s being sold with no reserve, so will sell from the very first bid no matter how derisory that might be.

Inspection is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, 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’.