The XJ-S, later dropping the hyphen, was a ‘luxury grand tourer’ manufactured from 1975 to 1996, Jaguar produced a total of 115,413 units over the 20-year period.

The XJS was given a facelift in 1991 which was to be its final form under Ford Motor company’s ownership, the car had some minor alterations on the exterior including losing the quad headlight set up and more aerodynamic bumpers.

The interior saw some minor changes as well in the form of some more conventional dials in the instrument binnacle. From July 1981 the Car received the HE V12 engine, or High Efficiency which gave the car much better fuel economy and a higher BHP output as a happy by-product.

The XJS was Jaguar’s longest running model and was superseded by the very popular XK8.

The Jaguar was purchased from a gentleman in Scotland who has taken care of the big cat well during his ownership. The Jag is in unrestored condition but will need some work to make it perfect once more.

Shipped down to Hertfordshire, it has been stored in a dry and ventilated garage space since the current owner has had the car. The big V12 engine, however, sounds great and starts without hesitation, idling comfortably with very little movement.

Looking in the engine bay when the car is running, you can see just how smooth the engine is. The current owner’s plan was to restore the big cat to its former glory as it has some minor bodywork needing to be done from its 30 years on the road, however the decision was taken to move it on to another enthusiastic party.

There is some paperwork supplied with the Jaguar, from old receipts to service books. The offerings look to be quite comprehensive, and the original range of service books and manuals come in their original Jaguar logo embossed leather wallet. 

The paper has been in contact with some water at some point and has slightly stuck together in some pages, but it hasn’t damaged the paperwork beyond reading or deciphering. 

The service book also has stamps in from many a previous service mainly from the same garage which is a comforting reassurance that this car has had regular maintenance from people familiar with it. 

Starting from the rear, the Jaguar’s boot space is cavernous, even with the full-size spare wheel taking up luggage space. The carpet in here is in good condition with no signs of water leaks or mildew or mould from any damp. Moving forward into the cabin and the door cards are in good condition also, there is some surface rust on the speaker cages, but this is a minor fix and could be done by a home mechanic with basic tools.

The rest of the upholstery on the door cards, including the wooden veneer, is in good condition with no rip’s tears or stains. The seats in the Jaguar are in fantastic condition with only the slightest of wear on the driver’s side bolster.

The rest of the grey leather as well as the padding in the base and back are in great condition also. All the carpet In the car is just as good a condition as it is in the boot with no stains, rips or tears.

The steering wheel and gear-lever, along with the handles and other touchpoints around the car are in good condition as well, showing little wear and tear from the big Jag’s 30 years.

This might be in due part to the very small number of miles this car has done during its lifetime, as is shown in the instrument cluster to be 51,409, surely a rare thing for this grand touring convertible.

Looking underneath the carpets, and you can see some small amounts of surface rust, but it’s very minimal for a car like this of this age, and especially from one to have spent much of its life in a climate like Scotland.

The rear luggage space looks again to be in good condition showing little signs of any wear and tear or damage. The hood is in reasonable condition but is showing its age, there are no big rips or tears but there are a few age-related nicks and snags.

The headlining is showing some tiny black spots and there is a section you can see when the roof is down that is showing some discoloration. Saying this, there is no issue with the mechanism and the roof goes up and down without issue.

The outside of the Jaguar is very straight with very little, if any, damage or surface rust showing on the exterior panels. All the shut lines are tight and uniform around the car and the glass, lights, grilles and brightwork are all in good condition.

The paintwork is in remarkably good condition considering the age of the vehicle, but it matches the car’s low mileage record. The wheels are in great condition also with only one alloy showing the slightest sign of curbing as you can see in the photo gallery below.

The tyres are in great condition and have plenty of tread left to exploit the power from that V12 engine. The hood is in ok condition, but it does seem to have come away from the rear window panel right at the very bottom left-hand corner.

This has also caused some water to seem in between the layers of the hood as can be seen in the photos. The exterior of the Jaguar is in good condition for its age with the paint work still holding much of its shine and lustre.

Because this car is so long, there is a lot of bodywork to potentially have gone wrong during its time on the roads, but this car has evaded much of the common Jaguar bodywork issues well, meaning that it is now a car that needs little TLC to get it back to its prime. 

Mechanically this Jaguar seems to be in excellent health, during the photoshoot, the car started, Idled and moved without issue and without unwanted, worrying noises. You really couldn’t tell it was a big V12 if you didn’t know from how quiet and civilised Jaguar have managed to make the unit behave.

There is a lot going on underneath the bonnet, but no issue presented itself during the time we were there with everything working as intended. A testament then to the build quality and care this car has received from its previous custodians.

The suspension and drivetrain underneath the car were also in as good a condition as the engine, again with no noise or issue being highlighted during the photoshoot. It’s safe to say that seeing as the car has such little mileage, the main handling and connecting drivetrain components are likely to be in much better condition than a higher mileage car.

Big Jaguars have a solid fan base since their conception and Jaguar is a beloved English marque. This XJ-S was a handsome car when it came out and it has retained its looks right through to 2022. The XJ-S presented here is a fantastic entry point into classic Jaguar ownership whilst still retaining some modern comforts as expected from the luxury brand. 

There is some work to be done on the Jag to bring it back up to 100% but it could very easily be driven as a daily commuter even in today’s hectic world. The appeal of that big V12 is the main one though, a huge engine to waft you along in supreme comfort in this great British land yacht. 

The Jaguar is a low mileage, classic grand tourer from a well-loved company that has come from caring owners and needs little work to bring it back to near new condition. 

We think this is appeal enough to the most ardent Jaguar fans out there and we encourage them to place this car firmly atop they’re list.