• Current ownership for 8 years

• Comprehensive history

• Last of the six-cylinder XJS

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Jaguar this model arrived towards the end of the 21 year production run of the XJS. Equipped with the updated AJ16 4.0 straight-six engine that debuted in the X300 XJ which was released in 1994, the Celebration model not only benefits from improved reliability but strong performance. 

The famously strong 4.0 litre lets owners sprint to sixty miles an hour in seven seconds when in a hurry and they weren’t deploying the XJS at its greatest skill, grand touring. 

Added to a more modern engine was the bulletproof and well-proven ZF4HP24 gearbox, again lifted from the XJ saloon. All this amounts to an XJS coupe that has become the one to own for people that want to use their classic without a set of spanners under the passenger seat.

The current owner picked up the keys after travelling over a hundred miles from his home eight years ago, as any enthusiast knows, when you see the right one you just have to have it. This one was in the right colour with the right specification. 

Sadly the time has come to part with this tremendous classic and let it continue its story with a new owner, hopefully with many more miles ahead. Anyone that wants to drive their XJS daily can take great comfort in knowing that this one has averaged just shy of 10,000 miles a year since new and  take pride in having a car that wears its miles elegantly.

This XJS doesn’t just stand out for its fantastic colour, but by its owners, four names have been put on the logbook since new, and they all used the car regularly.

The first owner decided to sell after a couple of years of enjoyment and the second owner began a five year stewardship with the invoice for this purchase in 1997 included in the stack of paperwork to be supplied with the car. In 2002 it was purchased and held on to for eleven years, covering plenty of miles and having the same garage maintain it until the day it drove away with the current owner.

A true enthusiast of the brand this car will not only be supplied with a service book brimming with stamps, a folder filled with receipts, MOT’s and purchase invoices, but also the XJS brochure. Anyone that wants to transport themselves back to the nineties need only park up at home in their shining new purchase and begin flicking through the pages as prospective buyers would have done in the Jaguar showrooms 26 years ago.

The handbooks for the vehicle were complete and in very good condition ready to be flicked through, and the leather pouches were undamaged and supple. 

As to be expected with a car that has covered many graceful miles there are stamps that follow the car up past 200,000 miles. We were advised that a service, including a new battery, was carried out along with the most recent MOT in March this year however a stamp hadn’t been put in the book for this one.

Reassuringly many of the stamps are from the same garage with a change happening as a new owner has taken it to their preferred workshop.

Ease down into the driver’s seat and glance an eye around, the cabin still has a special feel of a classic but gives subtle hints of its more modern aspects. There is a CD changer in the boot, buttons for an electrically adjusted seat on the driver’s door, and heating and cooling at the turn of a dial. The owner advised that he thinks the system needs a re-gas and that the CD/radio can be temperamental but has always resolved itself up to now.

Away from the gizmos the leather still offers a comfortable place to be and the owner was quick to point out that the headlining had been sorted so there is no sagging to worry about. The driver’s door lock can, on occasion, refuse to function and would benefit from some attention, the central locking is also inoperative, but two bladed keys and four programmable blip keys with be supplied with the car. 

The interior displays in an honest state for its year and mileage, with the minor flaws showing how well maintained the vehicle has been to have so few issues.

Big comfortable coupes with curvy lines will always attract the eye and the XJS is no exception. The style line vinyl along each side is uninterrupted and draws in admirers to the stunning colour of this XJS, a welcome departure from the sea of silver and grey many cars display today. The owner tells us that both rear arches have been repaired and the off side front wing has been replaced. 

The paintwork shined when the sun peaked out from behind the clouds and fools you into believing you are looking at a car with fewer miles on the clock. Most of the chrome also shined however an area on the offside rear did have a small hole and will require a replacement or repair.

Open up the bonnet and the straight-six looks back at you as it proudly sits waiting for its next call to action. This car is still used regularly and as to be expected, is the constant companion of the owner when a trip outside of the local area is needed. Many easy, comfortable, and reliable miles have been covered and the owner couldn’t think of any reason it shouldn’t continue that way.

There is an occasional peculiarity where on the first turn of the key a click is heard and nothing more, but a second twist always gets things going. We were told this doesn’t happen often, and that it has never failed to get going on second asking.

As to be expected with any grand tourer that has been used for its purpose there are some areas of wear that need to be noted. The garage that currently takes care of the car has said there is a minor water leak and the owner notes that a top up of water is needed every couple of months, a thorough inspection returned a verdict that it was not entering the engine but no clear failing has been discovered.

There was also a very light seepage noticed on the steering rack, none of this has stopped the car being used and it still thunders into life and gets moving unencumbered.

As XJS variants enter and exit the market a lingering desire for the AJ16 4.0, Jaguar's final straight six engine, is creating a blanket of demand that only a short production window can supply and owners are beginning to lock the door on any thought of selling. A classic look with one last revamp for a farewell making arguably the best XJS there is to own, drive and maintain, that’ll be a Celebration model, offered here in a great colour and ready to be used immediately.