2013 Jaguar XK 5.0 Portfolio Cabriolet

With just the one owner from new, this wonderful Satellite Grey Metallic Jaguar XK 5.0 Portfolio is all the car you’ll ever need, capable of taking you to the local shops or across Europe with equal aplomb.

First registered on the 30th of July 2013, its stunning condition is backed up by a flawless main dealer service history. It’s also MoT’d until the end of April 2023, something it achieved (of course) with no advisories, something it’s achieved every year of its life.

Garaged and rarely used in the rain, it presents beautifully too, leaving the new owner with nothing to do bar fill it with fuel and enjoy that intoxicating V8 engine.

We see a lot of XKs here, and this one has wowed us; its combination of condition and history and originality makes this the perfect example for the discerning British sportscar enthusiast keen to put one of the last of the XK models into their garage to use and enjoy as Jaguar intended.

With fewer than 28,000 miles on the clock, just the one fastidious owner who only ever used it in the rain when he got caught out by an unexpected shower, and an all-aluminium construction that rules out rust, you wouldn’t expect there to be much to say about the bodywork, would you?

And you’d be right. The Satellite Grey Metallic paintwork looks stunning, showing off the dent and ripple-free panels to perfection. As you can see from the comprehensive photo gallery, they all gleam and shimmer to show off the XK’s achingly pretty lines to perfection.

The shutlines are good too, and the doors, boot, and bonnet all open and close as they should, latching with an authoritative ‘thunk’. The light lenses and glazing are pristine and even the number plates look to be the originals from Grange Swindon, the supplying dealer - but then you’d guessed that by now, hadn’t you?

The hood opens and closes as it should. It also seals tightly and providing almost coupé-like levels of noise and weather insulation. This is a cabriolet that’s as much at home in freezing Arctic conditions as it is prowling through San Moritz.

The 20-inch, five spoke alloy wheels are equally pristine and free of the usual parking scrapes and scuffs that even the most carefully curated example inevitably attracts. The ultra-low-profile Pirelli P-Zero tyres (matching, of course…) are all in great shape with no damage and decent tread.

Other than the odd stonechip, there is nothing for the new owner to address.

The interior is a riot of wood and leather, a timeless combination that’s been brought bang up to date with the well-judged addition of some chrome and contrasting stitching. It’s a brilliant example of Jaguar giving a nod to its traditions without ever coming close to being a parody of the classic models we’ve all come to know and love.

The cream leather seats are in an excellent condition, with only the very gentlest of creasing and mildest of colour loss on the outer edges of the driver’s seat and a couple of small marks to the base of the nearside rear seat to distinguish them from brand new ones.

The headlining is excellent, as are the carpets and door trims. Two windscreen stickers, one for the National Trust and one for the Jaguar Drivers’ Club, point to an owner who is both mature in his outlook while remaining an enthusiastic driver, which is exactly the sort of attitude we love to see when we’re looking at buying a sportscar.

There are toys aplenty including a heated windscreen, a premium Bowers & Wilkins sound system, climate control, sat-nav, automatic lights, flappy paddles for the gearshift, and multi-adjustable electric seats. The car comes complete with two keys.

All-in-all, the cockpit really is a lovely place to be and there is little to find fault with bar the two (very minor) points we’ve mentioned earlier.

The boot is clean and neat and home to two spare heavy-duty rubber mats for the front footwells and an indoor cover.

Another boring section I’m afraid because there’s almost nothing to say about what would be the oily bits on a more shoddily maintained example. Suffice it to say everything starts, runs, and stops as it should, which is no surprise when you learn it’s had no fewer than seven main dealer services in its short life.

The underbonnet area is clean and fresh. The underside is very good too, with no dents or damage and only a very light dusting of surface rust on the odd bolt head and bracket to detract from what is otherwise a very impressive undercarriage. Even the usually vulnerable plastic front undertray is excellent.

We’ve taken the car for a brief spin and it goes just as well as you’d hope: the expression ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove’ could’ve been made for this car.

Faults appear to be limited to a ‘Check Pedestrian System’ warning light on the dashboard.

The Jaguar’s service history reads as follows:

• 04.07.2014 – Service A at 4,470 miles by Grange Swindon
• 28.07.2015 – Service B and oil service at 8,448 miles by Grange Swindon
• 31.08.2016 – Service A and oil service at 11,719 miles by Grange Swindon
• 13.10.2017 – Service A and oil service at 15,710 miles by Grange Swindon
• 08.10.2018 – Service A and oil service at 18,244 miles by Swindon Jaguar
• 27.01.2020 – Service A and oil service at 22,000 miles by Grange Jaguar
• 19.05.2021 – 120K service and oil service at 25,241 miles by Grange Jaguar

The MoT expires on the 28th of April 2023 and was gained, like every MoT it has ever had, with no advisories whatsoever. It has the factory handbooks and a current V5 registration document.

So, nothing to say really, which is exactly as it should be.

For many enthusiasts the pleasure they derive from owning a classic car is as much in the doing as the driving. They enjoy repairing, restoring, fettling, improving, modifying, and upgrading. They like to tinker, even when none is needed.

This is not a car for folk like that.

This is a car for folk who enjoy driving fast and hard and long, folk who want their pauses to be to refuel rather than to wait for the radiator to cool down. Folk who want thrills and noise and sleek lines but would rather not compromise on reliability, performance, or comfort to get them. The sort of folk who, perhaps, drove a Mazda MX-5 when they were young and impoverished and now fancy getting behind the wheel of a proper grand tourer, albeit one that can pick up its skirts and run with the best of them when called on.

Sybarites who want an E-Type’s thrills with a Toyota’s reliability – and if this sounds like you, then this is an absolute cracker. Chestnuts like ‘immaculate’, ‘pristine’, and ‘glorious’ vie with phrases like ‘maintained regardless of cost’ and ‘a rare opportunity to buy the best of the best’ could be used but we’re better than that. We run a million miles from a cliché. As you know.

With a guide price of between £20,000 and £25,000, we appreciate you could buy a cheaper example. But, given the Jaguar XK’s complexity, you really shouldn’t.

No, what you should do is stump up the modest premium an immaculately maintained example like this commands and sleep soundly thereafter: with a full main dealer service history, a flawless MOT history and just the one careful owner from new, this is a Jaguar sportscar you can buy with your head and your heart.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, 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’.