2004 Jaguar XK8

And now for something completely different: It’s not often that you see a heavily modified Jaguar XK8 for sale, much less one painted in Lamborghini pearlescent orange. With a valuation from the chairman of the XK Enthusiasts’ Club of £20,000, this fantastic Jaguar XK8 features modified bodywork, suspension, interior, and, of course, that stunning custom paint.

In the care of the vendor the past eight years, the most obvious change is the Lamborghini Arancio Borealis paint. Reminiscent of the iconic Gulf racing colours, it is a professionally applied pearlescent orange-over-yellow that looks amazing in normal light and certainly stands out from the crowd in full sunshine.

And, that vibrant colour is wonderfully offset by a blue leather and wool interior, which sounds like it shouldn’t work but actually looks sensational. Beautifully carried out by one of the best trimmers in the UK, every little detail has been exquisitely executed.

The XK8 is so well modified that it was voted the ‘Best Modified XK’ at the 2014 XK Enthusiasts’ Club meeting and the trophy - engraved with ‘Growler XI’ - comes with it.

The car, which has had just the two previous owners, a full service history, and a long MOT still shows just 68,000 on the odometer. Offered with no reserve, it’s going to sell from the very first bid, so if you’ve ever fancied a True Blue V8-powered muscle car, now’s your chance!

Aside from the eye-catching custom Lamborghini Arancio Borealis paintwork, the XK8’s bodywork also features a custom-designed rear-facing cowl on the bonnet as per the Arden A-Type AJ18 plus Grantley Design bonnet vents and retro vinyl stripes.

The side vents from the later XKs were added too, along with a black diamond grille set back into the nose cone. The rear spoiler is a bespoke item, based on an Irmscher stock part, and the whole kit ‘n’ caboodle is impeccably fitted, with tight panel gaps, even shutlines, and a complete absence of the sort of car-park dinks, dents and scuffs that even the most carefully curated car collects over the years.

The bodywork modifications and the respray were carried out by Millway Bodyshop at a cost of more than £5,800 in 2013. As you can see from the photos, it was a thorough job and even areas like the door shuts, fuel filler recess, and boot surround having been properly prepared and painted.

The wheels are the original Jaguar Gemini 17-inch rims, albeit powdercoated. They are shod with matching Pirelli P-Zero tyres.

As we will never tyre 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 owner reports that: ‘The paint is showing a few signs of wear. This is clear in the area of the bonnet cowl, where the paint has developed a few cracks.’ We also note that the paint has come away in a couple of areas on the rear bumper and the underside of the front spoiler shows a few marks. Please see the photos for details.

The interior hasn’t been neglected, featuring as it does French Navy leather with a quilted pattern plus tweed from a Scottish mill - and please don’t think this is your average retrim because it has been so comprehensively reworked that even the interior of the glovebox has been lined…

The front seats are Recaro items taken from a Mitsubishi Evo IX, and the bill for modifying them alone came to £600. Matching blue seatbelts have been fitted.

The whole interior has also been re-carpeted throughout, including the space where the (largely pointless) rear seats were fitted, which is now boxed-in and carpeted to form a useful second luggage area.

The retrimming was done by KLF Automotive Ltd. At a cost of more than £5,700. Pricey for sure, but then these guys are more used to fitting out various F1 drivers’ RVs and the whole job looks like it could have come out of the factory like this.

The dashboard gauges have chrome surrounds, as does the J-gate. The owner also bought and fitted a custom, carbon-and-burnt-orange gearknob from the American Shifter Company, which looks and feels absolutely epic.

Other custom-touches include Adamesh drilled aluminium pedals, tinted windows, and a colour-changing LED system for the courtesy lights in the footwells.

The vendor changed the stock Jaguar headunit with a PURE digital unit, which has iPod connectivity via Bluetooth. A Trackstar tracker has also been fitted.

The OE wooden veneer, headlining and dashboard top are all as good as you’d expect of a car that’s been in the care of such an enthusiastic and fastidious owner. Oh, and the air-conditioning works as it should and blows ice-cold.

The boot shows the original red paint under the spacesaver spare wheel, but the metalwork is utterly solid.

Niggles? Well, the driver’s door control unit is said to be ‘temperamental’. The owner tells us that this manifests itself as the windows and central locking can be “a bit of a fiddle; they all work but you get an occasional one-inch drop in the passenger side window if the door isn’t closed before the driver’s door”.

Also, the switch beneath the brake pedal that regulates the cruise control is in need of replacing, and the window tint on the rear window has bubbles in it.

We also saw two warning lights on the dashboard: the first was for the cruise control, and the second was for the rear lights. The latter all seemed to work okay, so we wonder if it is just a problem with them communicating with the car’s ECU?

The engine, transmission and brakes are still stock and the owner tells us that the Jaguar pulls, changes gear, and stops “as sweetly as the day she rolled off the production line”. He also tells us that: “She starts on the button every time, even in the depths of winter.“ We’ve given it a quick test drive and can confirm that it drives as well as any XK8 of this age and vintage we’ve ever driven.

The only mechanical change that has been made is to the suspension, which has been lowered by 30mm and polybushed. The owner reports that this has made a “dramatic improvement in handling”.

The exhaust is an Adamesh stainless steel item with the ‘over-axle’ option, new, wider tail-pipe finishers, and ceramic-coated in black.

The owner tells us that the mechanical work, electric upgrades, routine servicing, and overall build was carried out by Designcats and the car was last serviced in February 2019 by PKF Engineering.

The engine bay still shows the original red paint, but is otherwise well presented. The underside of the Jaguar is solid and appears to still be protected by the factory underseal. The ends of the sills and the wheelarches, both vulnerable areas on the model, seem to be solid and free of any rust whatsoever.

The Jaguar’s MOT certificate expires at the end of January 2021. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it.

It also comes with a full Jaguar main dealer/specialist service history, the Jaguar Racing Green owner’s folder with all books, service files and original promotional materials, plus two full sets of keys and the all-important green valet key.

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 modified and 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’…

Clearly not one for the traditionalists, this extensively modified Jaguar XK8 creates a stir wherever it goes. With its vibrant Lamborghini orange coachwork and blue leather interior, the vendor‘s aim was to create a Hot Wheels-style English muscle car and he has spent an awful lot of time and money to achieve his dream.

Mechanically almost completely standard, it’s going to be as reliable as any well-maintained XK8 too; there’s no dodgy aftermarket turbo, dubious re-chipping, or made-in-China tuning bits bolted on; bar the lowered suspension, it’s all stock, which bodes well for future longevity and insurance premiums alike.

And yet, no matter how well the mods have been done – and these have been done very well indeed – there’s no denying that the market for a car like this is small. With this in mind, it’s being offered with no reserve and a guide price of between £4,000 and £8,000.

Small beer, surely? Especially as you’ll have a trophy to prove it’s a top Growler…

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.