Description
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2024 - Cars on Saturday the 9th of November, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. The Jaguar XJ-S (later called XJS) is a luxury Grand Tourer manufactured and marketed by Jaguar Cars from 1975 to 1996 and was Jaguar’s longest lived production model and its best-selling sports car. Like the brilliant XJ saloon with which it shared its underpinnings, the XJ-S offered impressive performance, class-leading comfort and unrivalled value for money. Fittingly, it was the last project to receive input from Sir William Lyons.
Heralded as 'the most exclusive and expensive Jaguar ever produced', it delivered a package arguably unavailable elsewhere at any price. Its appeal was strengthened over the years by perfFormance and economy enhancements, plus a significant midlife restyling. The car that bowed out in 1996 had developed and matured into the quality product that was always its goal.
The car presented here is an XJS unlike any other and is as about as rare (perhaps rarified) as any example can be from a mainstream car company. The car, its story and the context of how it came to be – and how it survived like it has – have all been thoroughly researched by its current owner (our vendor) and the details of which are conveyed here, it is comprehensive but well worth it.
This car now offered for sale is a 1993 (1994 model) Jaguar XJS V12 6-litre ‘Insignia’ Coupé – which was produced as a standalone model, in its own right, and built by Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) Department, one of the rarest of all modern-era Jaguar models. The vehicles produced under the ‘Insignia Program’ were only available via Special Order by Jaguar’s most prominent and wealthy customers; SVO allowed buyers to order a bespoke car, accommodating more personalisation, over and above the company’s standard range of luxury cars.
In 1992, after 24 years, the hand-finished production of the iconic Daimler limousine (DS420) came to an end. Favoured by Royalty and dignitaries alike, each very special example was hand-built in Daimlers Limousine Shop by the finest of craftsmen and women, to the personal instructions of some of the world’s wealthiest and prestigious VIP customers. For Jaguar, this raised the problem of 'what do you now do with a highly skilled workforce that have spent their working lives building some of the world’s finest bespoke vehicles by hand?'.
Jaguar’s SVO Department, who historically built very exclusive Jaguars to order such as prototypes, press vehicles, launch vehicles and special versions of production models for politicians and the like, had the answer! SVO’s idea was to transfer this highly skilled workforce, whose talents for building extremely high-quality bespoke cars had been acquired over many years, to them at Browns Lane in Coventry. The concept was simple, really; to offer, in the main, the company’s most wealthy and cherished customers unique and hand-finished examples of the company’s leading cars: the XJ40 and, in far lesser numbers, the XJS. These unique new models were, most certainly, not to be classed as Limited Editions – far from it. Here was a range of vehicles in their own right. The Jaguar Insignia Program was launched at the NEC Motor Show in September 1992.
The 1994 Insignia brochure promises 'lustrous veneers from Walnut imported from California, attractively tinted to complement the chosen paint' and goes on to tell of 'exclusive hand-tailored leather interiors matched for grain texture and colour trimmed in soft semi-aniline leather in a unique range of colours with a choice of contrasting piping to compliment the exterior paintwork'.
The options for the Insignia models were paint finishes and colours that were outside the standard range, along with new types of leather and styles, plus the finest tinted wood veneers, trims and unique wheels. Thus, no two cars were the same and the only thing that linked the range was its name, ‘Insignia’.
The considered research is that, in total, just 300 Jaguar Insignias were produced by SVO, the vast majority were XJ40 Saloons, with only 64 being the XJS. Of the 64 XJS examples, in all configurations (i. e. Coupé/ Convertible & 4-litre/ V12 6-litre), 34 were right-hand drive for the home-market and just 30 were left-hand drive for the rest of the World. The split between Coupé and Convertible was roughly equal (so c. 15 of each) but the split between the engine variants was more like 70/ 30, with the less desirable 4-litre taking the higher number. Therefore, the number of factory-built left-hand drive XJS V12 6-litre Insignia Coupés totalled only single figures and possibly as few as just six.
That demonstrates how incredibly rare this particular car is; even if all six examples remain, which is highly unlikely, it is a handful, at best, around the world. And as we say, the XJS Insignia was a model in its own right. Today, finding a Jaguar XJS Insignia at all is a huge challenge with so few made; most of those that remain are now in the hands of Jaguar enthusiasts who have no intention of parting with them. Our enquires have uncovered only a few (we found five) XJS Insignias offered for sale worldwide in the last five years, and just one of those was a 6-litre V12; it was sold in Germany, having covered 70, 000km, and marketed as 'the lowest mileage example available' – which no doubt it was…at that time!
The car being offered for sale by Iconic Auctioneers has covered a mere
8, 700km (5, 400 miles) and is in simply immaculate, commensurate, time warp original condition.
In late 1993, representatives from Jaguar Cars presented to His Majesty the Sultan of Oman the exclusive XJS Insignia. Daimler DS420 limousines had previously been used in the Sultanate for official duties and having been schooled in Suffolk and graduated from The Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, the Sultan was very pro all things English, including Jaguar Cars.
The Sultan was so impressed with the Insignia Program that an order was placed via the Diwan of Royal Court Affairs (the highest-ranking Government official/ department in the Sultanate of Oman who reported direct to H. M Sultan) for the exclusive top of the range XJS Insignia V12 6-litre.
However, the order was not for just one car…… but for three! Which was c. half of the total number of LHD XJS V12 6. 0-litre Insignia Coupes ever made and most likely all but one (the one sold in Germany?) of the 1994 final facelift models.
All three Oman cars were 1994 final facelift model XJS Insignias and all were V12 6. 0-litre cars with the automatic GM gearbox. Two were in Green and one was in ‘Lavender’ (as the Insignia brochure called it – a paint colour that fewer than ten XJS Insignias were ever produced in, and only two were V12 6. 0-litre Coupes). The cars were ordered through Jaguar dealer Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC in the capital of Oman, to where they were despatched in October 1993 from Coventry. The invoice for all three cars is in this car’s accompanying history file, dated 29th December 1993 and records that all three vehicles were delivered to the Diwan of Royal Court Affairs.
The Lavender XJS Insignia V12 6. 0-litre is the car presented here. When it arrived in Oman, the XJS was immediately stored away out of direct sunlight and heat in the Sultanate's purpose-built temperature-controlled car storage facility where expert servants looked after the many cars housed there. The car was not used, apart from being run around the private grounds of the storage facility by the staff, to keep things operational and free. Regular maintenance was carried out though, despite the lack of use.
There are invoices in the history file from the supplying-dealer for servicing and carrying out factory recalls. An invoice (in English) dated 29th May 1994 records the car as ‘unregistered’ and the odometer reading of 515km. Another invoice states a further service carried out on the 14th December 1994 when the odometer had risen to 625km.
In November 1995, the car was registered in Oman and used sparingly, almost certainly by a member of the Royal Household.
In 1998, the car was acquired by its second owner, an Englishman and aircraft engineer who was a very senior member of the maintenance team that cared for the VIP transport of the Royal Flight of the Sultan of Oman. The Royal Flight was a non-military organisation embedded in the Royal Household but operationally under the control of the Diwan of Royal Court Affairs to whom the XJS had been originally delivered. At the time of acquisition, the car had covered c. 6, 000km. The new owner was a passionate car enthusiast as well as a fastidious engineer. Again, the car saw very little use and again was kept in storage out of direct sunlight. Servicing continued to be carried out by Mohsin Haider Darwish L. L. C. (the supplying dealer) and there are many service invoices in the history file tracking the kilometrage up to 8, 000. Special instructions recorded on the service invoices and given by the last owner when the car went in for service demonstrate just how fastidious he was. He insisted that the car be ‘always parked under cover’ and while it was with the dealership ‘the tyre pressures be set at 60psi’ (we are guessing that he left it with them for service when he came back to the UK for a few weeks at a time). He gave instruction that ‘the engine should never be pressure washed’ and that ‘the hand-brake should be left off’ and when the car was not being worked on it ‘should have the bespoke breathable cover fitted’ (this cover still accompanies the car).
In 2003, the owner decided that it was time for him to return to the UK and he resigned from his senior post with the Royal Flight. The car, of course, would return with him and there is considerable paperwork in the history file to facilitate its passage and to inform the relevant UK authorities including HM Customs & Excise. The car was loaded into its own container for the voyage and arrived in Southampton on 15th April 2003 and all the supporting paperwork is in the history file.
The car was collected from the docks at Southampton and inspected by HM Customs & Excise who declared it free of their charges (original form is also in the history file). It was then transported to professional indoor storage at a franchise main-dealers facility in Herefordshire. Again, there is a letter in the file confirming this and that the car had never been used on the UK roads. The car was not registered, as the owner was not sure if he would stay in the UK or take up a new senior engineer position close by in Europe. It remained in storage, but the owner’s parents were getting older, and he was torn whether to stay in this country for that reason. In the end, he decided that he would remain here and had the car moved again by transportation to a dedicated professional storage company in the Cotswolds to be closer to him, as he relocated to be near his parents. The owner never did get round to registering the car. Sadly, he became seriously ill and therefore the car stayed in professional storage. That was until early summer 2024 when our vendor acquired it. (N. B. all taxes are paid, a NOVA is present along with a dating letter from the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, Heritage Certificate and MOT until June 2025; the Jaguar is now UK-registered with a correct for year ‘N’ prefix registration number, and a V5 registration document showing 0 previous owners)
He submitted the car for its first MOT ever using its VIN number in June this year - it passed with no advisory notes. The car has now covered a verifiable 8, 679km (5, 400 miles).
This exceptional - in every respect - 1994 model V12 6. 0-litre XJS Insignia is in truly spectacular original and unrestored condition. It is as close as is possible to be to a ‘new car’ or how it left the Jaguar factory in Browns Lane Coventry some 30 years ago as you could hope to find.
It is a one-off car that has incredible provenance, and should be rightly considered for any Collection of fine motor cars.
Further details supplied by our vendor:
Bodywork
Finished in a most attractive Jaguar colour that was unique to the Insignia range - Lavender (Purple Pearl) with contrasting hide piped in Dark Stone.
The car everywhere - inside, outside and underneath is remarkably rust-free.
Retains all of its original panels and glass.
The vast majority of the paint finish is ‘factory’ and applied at Browns Lane when new; however, there is a note in the history file that reports that the front passenger wing and door received touch up (respray) by the suppling dealer in Oman to rectify light transit marks. The untrained eye would be hard pushed to notice this as the colour match is excellent. However, on close inspection this dealer rectification (that is now 30-year-old does display signs of its age and there is some very minor micro blistering to a small area on the wing). The note also reports that there was no panel damage – so we would assume that the work was surface only rectification of transit marks only to the paint finish.
The correct unique-to-Insignia alloy wheels are immaculate with Pirelli P4000 tyres (which may well be the originals - so should be professionally checked before prolonged use or driving at speed).
The chrome work is original and in all round excellent condition (although the rear bumper top blade does have some minor pitting).
All the glass is original.
The underside is remarkable having never been subjected to rain, road salt, or mud etc. Original factory parts labels, such as on the front suspension assembly, are clearly visible with its serial numbers. Many bolt heads and nuts still shine and have not oxidised. Factory marker paint is still present on the front and rear suspension.
No additional underseal has been applied anywhere since the car left the factory; there has never been any need whatsoever of any welding or repairs of any kind to the underside.
Interior
Restyled only for the Insignia range, the interior, like the exterior, offered a unique range of colours, Pale Stone in this case.
The interior was trimmed in semi-aniline soft leather, matched for grain, texture and colour then hand cut and stitched.
The seats were re-designed for Insignia and offered contrasting piping; here in Dark Stone. They are in unmarked condition and are undistinguishable from new with no signs of use such as creases or wear to the bolsters or piping.
The luxurious new range of unique carpets were deep pile wool and even the protective binding around the carpet edges is coloured keyed; in this case Stone carpets with Light Stone edging.
The wood veneers on the dash, centre consul, and doors are again unique to Insignia. Jaguars veneer buyers, widely regarded as some of the best in Europe travelled to California and individually selected the veneers before they were imported and then hand-cut coloured to compliment the exterior colour and then hand polished.
The headlining has recently been replaced as it sagged a little with age.
Door cards and all veneer are perfect.
Double row hand-stitched dash, door-cards and armrests
Never smoked in, the cigar lighter and ashtrays are unused.
Engine Bay
The engine bay, as you may expect for a car of this mileage, is exceptionally clean with original stickers still in place.
The bonnet struts hold well.
The sound deadening to the underside of the bonnet is original and in good order.
Boot
All the boot trim and carpet are excellent and unmarked, including the floor mat.
Insignia spare alloy wheel with cover and Pirelli tyre.
Wheel changing kit unused in correct carpet bag.
The boot floor is correctly not finished in body colour.
New Lucas battery
