• Later 4.2 V8 model

• OEM BBS split rims

• Very rare Zeemax body kit

• Retrimmed interior
• Enthusiast owned

1996 saw the birth of the XK8 first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, a 2+2 made by Jaguar to replace the former XJS and sharing a platform with the Aston Martin DB7. The XK8 was the first vehicle to use Jaguar's newly developed 32-valve 4.0L V8 engine which produced a very punchy 290bhp. Later a supercharged variant called the XKR came to life, utilising the same power plant but rocketing the performance to a blistering 370bhp. 

In 2002, Jaguar decided up the displacement with a new 4.2 V8 in both the XK8 and the XKR, with it the naturally aspirated variant made 294bhp and 303lb-ft of torque and the supercharged variant benefiting greatly with 400bhp and 408lb-ft of torque. Both the XK8 and the XKR were coupled with a 6-speed ZF 6HP26 gearbox to deliver a smooth output of the tremendous power while maintaining the exceptional comfort expected of the brand.

Once owned by an ex-military Jaguar enthusiast, this vehicle has recently traded hands due to unfortunate circumstances faced by the previous owner which forced the sale of the vehicle. The current owner had only registered the car in his name at the start of 2021 to remove the private registration which it had at the time, otherwise this car would have been a single-owner vehicle. 

Thanks to the first owner being an enthusiast, it has been very well maintained with no regard to cost whatsoever, it has been extremely well loved throughout its life and the condition shows true to that. 

A substantial amount of paperwork is available with this XK8, even showing the original bill of sale for the car at a price of £45,000 at the time of purchase at Dutton-Forshaw Motor Company. 

Throughout the vehicles life, any and all work has been documented and kept alongside it including general servicing as well as any issues which had to be taken care of, no expense was ever spared with this car thanks to it being owned by a Jaguar enthusiast for the majority of its lifetime. 

Invoices are present for the work carried out by Zeemax for the installation of the bodykit as well as following work done such as the interior retrimming job and the full body respray which had all been exceptionally professionally done and still looks outstanding to date.

This XK8 has had a beautiful retrim job done by Zeemax back when the kit was installed, you won’t see another Jag with this striking colour combo interior. These models came stock with a rather boring and bland beige interior all round, Jaguar wanted to exude elegance and showed no option for further colour combinations leaving XK8’s in the 90’s where they started. A new lease of life has been given to this specific XK8 however thanks to the retrimming job, incorporating lovely red leather into the interior to help compliment the exterior paintwork and tie it all together. All of the stitching on the seats looks to be all intact, showing no signs of tears or rips and very minimal signs of any leather stretching.

There are some age related marks throughout the front seats such as very small scuffs visible, mainly on the driver seat however as to be expected. Also some of the cream leather is showing signs of minor colour transfer and could use some attention, however this could come back to life with some careful cleaning as with most leather upholstery, as well as some of them already been cleaned up by the current owner who tells us it’s looking fantastic. The rear seats also look great, not showcasing any noticeable damage and look as though they have hardly been used since they were completed!  Door cards have also been retrimmed incorporating the same red leather and are in fantastic condition.

The factory-fitted steering wheel is still in place, it is showing signs of normal wear across the leather portion of the outer rim as to be expected of a car this age. The stitching is still all intact as is the stitching across the airbag cover which shows no damage, and the wooden trim is seemingly in good condition with no apparent damage, too. The wooden trim ties in nicely with that of the dashboard which continues across the whole length of the cabin, all panels are in nice shape with no obvious signs of any damage and still retain great levels of gloss from the finish. The same can be said about the wooden insert surrounding the gear shifter.

The gauge cluster and dials all work as they should as well as the small dials located in the centre console. All of the centre console controls function normally as expected and the gear selector moves freely. There does appear to be some minor damage to the plastic ashtray insert, however this is easily fixed. All carpets are nicely kept and the kick-plates still have their mirror finish, with some minor scuffs and scratches as to be expected. Overall, a beautiful example with a very welcoming and unique interior, well maintained and cared for throughout its lifetime. 

We’d be surprised if you hadn’t noticed it already, however this car sports a very rare and unique Zeemax “standard width” kit. Zeemax was a big contender for aftermarket body kits in the early 2000’s with praise to how well the reinforced fibreglass panels fitted. Cars such as BMW, Jaguar, Porsche and a few others were graced with Zeemax pieces, however nowadays they only deal with Jaguar’s, specifically the XK8 and XKR. The founder of Zeemax tells us there may only be as little as 200-250 body kits world wide, unsure of how many may be left in the UK - however we assume that number to be rather small as those 200+ body kits were sold all over the globe.

The Zeemax body kit cost in excess of £2,500 and consists of the front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, rear spoiler, small roof spoiler and the tail lights. All of these parts are test fitted at the Zeemax headquarters, removed, primed and painted, and reinstalled back onto the customers car - a process which we’re told takes about 3-4 days from start to finish, which the invoices show the completion in 2010. The vehicle also appears to have XKR-style hood vents - a nice addition to compliment the aggressive body kit.

The bodywork seems to be in good shape with no signs of accident damage. The paint also looks in good condition, as common as it is for red cars to fade over time, this XK8 still has substantial levels of gloss!  The car also has standard split Jaguar wheels, manufactured by BBS as stamped on the rim - all 4 of these look in good condition with no horrible scrapes, as well as all 4 arches looking clean with seemingly no sign of visible rust.

On the passenger side door, the black trim just under the window is showing signs of age with some rust bubbles protruding under the paint, this is causing some slight deformation on the rubber seal along the bottom of the window. All other trim pieces look okay though - this seems to be the only piece needing some attention. Both front and rear lights are not showing much signs of age - the front lights are still beautifully clear and show no signs of fade, and the tail lights show the same thanks to the updated clusters from Zeemax.

This car wants for nothing. Upon purchasing the vehicle the current owner had the car completely inspected and MOT’d, as the car had previously been sitting for quite a while before his purchase. The brakes were rebuilt along with new discs and pads, apart from this, no further issues were found. These cars are renowned for how reliable they are, and seeing just how smoothly and elegantly this car drives is a testament to that!

The engine and drivetrain have no unwelcome noises apparent, and no offputting vibrations or clunks to be found here either. The 4.2 V8 pulls the car along very smoothly and with ease, making it an extremely easy car to drive on a day to day basis, especially with the help of the 6-speed ZF gearbox and it’s wonderfully smooth gearshifts.

The car has been very well maintained and all of the paperwork alongside the car showing servicing and general maintenance is proof of such, it shows just how rewarding looking after your vehicle is. 

A Jaguar XK8 in itself is a wonderfully robust piece of elegant engineering, to find one with such a rare piece of automotive jewellery such as a Zeemax kit, presents quite a precious opportunity. 

Even if the Zeemax kit is not to one's taste, thanks to the OEM fitment of the kit itself it can be removed knowing the car's chassis has had no unwelcome modifications hiding behind the bumpers meaning that stock bumpers will go on hassle-free, as we’re told from the owner of Zeemax. 

With such astounding style and performance for the money, what are you waiting for?