2003 Jaguar XKR

When it came off the production line in 2003, this XKR coupé in silver with black leather would have cost its first owner getting on for £60,000. 

Now, with just 61,300 miles covered and four owners recorded on the V5, this Jon Wilkinson-owned Jag is still in the first flush of youth and looks like a real performance bargain. 

With stiffer suspension and bigger brakes and rubber than the standard XK, the R was a serious performance machine that could see off the vast majority of other cars in a drag race or over fast A-roads. That still applies in 2019. 

Despite its towering performance, the XKR is a friendly car to drive. You can give it the berries in the knowledge that the combination of the responsive 6-speed auto and the Dynamic Stability Control system will keep the wheelspin in check, or you can use it to amble down to the local corner shop to pick up your bread, milk and copy of the Racing Post, if they still do that. 

Jon tells us that the private registration number will be replaced by an age-related plate.

This Jaguar’s sheet metal has stood the test of time really well, with tight-looking gaps, no ripples or rust spots jumping out and the original silver paintwork being almost blemish free. The aluminium kickplates and door bottoms are clean, and the rubber seals look sound. 

The R-specific five-spoke rivet alloys show no signs of kerbing or paint loss, the huge R calipers seem to be in fine condition, and there is plenty of meat on the Dunlop SP Sport tyres. To take the stress out of parking, the rear bumper has four proximity sensors. 

Some flakes of paint have been chipped off the rear under-valance, a fact of life for many high-performance rear-wheel drive cars, and the area near one of the jacking points would also benefit from a quick sand-down and touch-up.

As the top of the range XK model you’d expect this R to have a comprehensive kit list, and so it does. You get climate control, electric mirrors, electric seats, cruise control, heated sports seats with driver memory, an auto dimming mirror and a CD autochanger. If you’ve still got all your old Val Doonican cassettes there’s a slot for them too. 

If you’ve never tried Jaguar’s uniquely soft seat leather, the perforated black moo in our XKR will be a real treat. It’s nicely worn in and, again as you’d expect from a Jaguar, the figured walnut trim pieces are all real wood. That might seem obvious, but not every manufacturer takes the same view on what constitutes wood. For Jaguar, it needs to come from a tree. 

Both door cards with padded armrests appear unblemished, as does the headlining and the generously sized between-the-seats cubby. It’s entirely possible that the two kiddie seats in the back have never been sat in, and the passenger seat hasn't seen much use either. 

The XKR boot is usefully deep so you won’t have to restrict yourself to the ‘toothbrush and underwear’ travel bag that some sports cars require their owners to carry. The spacesaver tyre is unused.

This is a 16-year old car, so you will see traces of corrosion underneath, but Jon assures us that none of it is structural. In 2016, the underside was checked for rust and waxoiled. The big (and expensive) rear subframes were replaced at the end of 2017, as were the rear quarter sills. The car now comes with a fresh MOT until February 2020.  

Let’s crack open that iconic forward-hinging bonnet, first seen in the E-type. Crash legislation has moved on a way since the early 1960s, so it’s no longer the full clamshell assembly that gave E-type owners such amazing access to the engine. At least the R’s twin hydraulic bonnet rams have less work to do. They hold firm and the underbonnet heat- and sound-proofing material is all intact. 

The engine bay itself is remarkably clean and dry, and if the sight of that ‘Supercharged’ script on the plenum chamber doesn’t raise your pulse rate by a few beats you might want to slap yourself in the face.  

As this is a post-2002 XKR, it has the 4.2 litre V8 engine which means it isn’t burdened by the earlier 4.0’s suspect plastic timing chain tensioner or plastic-vaned water pump.

Having driven the car a short distance - a real treat, it started on the button from cold, immediately settling to a gratifyingly smooth idle. Everything felt taut and well connected, the steering and braking systems worked as I expected, and everything electrical appeared to function as it should.

Unfortunately there is a gap in the service history between 2005 and 2013. Jon has put in a fair bit of effort trying to trace the history and drawn a blank, but there is a signed note in the file confirming that the car was always serviced at the correct intervals.

The important thing is that more recent owners have been a bit more adept at keeping the paperwork in a safe place. A great deal of money was spent on this car in 2016. At the beginning of the year lambda sensors and door latches were replaced (£858) and a full service was carried out at a cost of £764. Later that same year a new ABS sensor was fitted. At the end of 2016, a £762 pre-MOT checkover was done in which the battery was replaced along with an upper wishbone bush. The brake system was bled at this time too. 

The paperwork relating to this work is all present and correct and will make reassuring reading for the next owner, along with the year's MOT.

Harking back to the sniffy comments of those 1990s car journalists, you do wonder how different the world was back then. Today, the grace and elegance of these first Geoff Lawson XKs, especially in coupé form, is beginning to be appreciated. 

Rarity on its own isn't a guarantee of rising values, but it’s a decent indicator. Most cars dwindle in number from one year to the next. It’s normal attrition. When there are more road-registered examples of a car one year than there were the year before, that tells you something. Whether it’s through restoration or importation, it should tell you that interest in that car – and in keeping examples of it alive and well – is growing. 

Again, there are no guarantees, but looking ahead you’d expect this trend to translate into rising values. So the fact that there are more gen-one XKRs on British roads in 2019 than there were in 2018 should be of interest to you. We estimate this example will sell between £8,500 - £11,000.

In an eminently resellable paint/interior combination, our XKR is a very usable example of this under-the-radar classic. Give it the beans and you’ll do well to top 20mpg, but on an easy run you might see 30mpg or more – a very creditable figure considering the thunderous performance available.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Worcester; 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, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.