2008 Jaguar S Type

This car is in excellent condition and starts, goes, performs and handles every bit as well as it looks – and it looks great.

We know this car - we have auctioned it before.

It came to us then through a vendor who is very well-known to us and has built a successful niche business on the back of his expert understanding of the Japanese Jaguar market and his ability to select and import only the very best examples. 

So, this car was one of his Japanese imports, and arrived in this country in 2023. 

The car’s Japanese back-story tells us two things. 

Firstly, that it has spent its life immersed in a culture where people tend to take pride in their cars and usually spend a great deal of time and effort pampering them and making sure no harm comes to them. 

Secondly, that it comes from a country where salt is thrown over the shoulders of sumo wrestlers, not chucked all over the roads in industrial quantities like it is in the UK. 

Ergo, Japanese cars are nearly always free of the sort of corrosion issues that routinely affect cars in the UK and elsewhere.

It may be something of a cliché to talk about the value of ‘honour’ in Japanese society and culture. But it’s no exaggeration to say that this tradition is sufficiently embedded that it even extends to the Japanese motor trade, where there is no place for Trotter-san or Daley-san. 

This is a world in which mechanics are assiduously diligent in their work, dealers are scrupulously honest in their valuations, and owners take obsessive levels of pride in the care and attention they lavish upon their expensive European cars.

Ah…just imagine.

Moving on.

All of which good news goes a long way to explaining the excellent aesthetic, dynamic and mechanical condition of this car.

Of course, the other element that’s clearly played a role in keeping it so well-preserved is the fact that it’s only showing 56,000 miles on the odometer and has evidently been very well looked-after and diligently curated since arriving on these shores.

Viewed from any angle you care to choose, this is a very handsome car and one that wears its years exceedingly lightly.

The bodywork is straight, true and devoid of any significant dinks, dents, creases, ripples or folds that shouldn’t be there.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are reassuringly consistent and even.

The wheels, although broadly very decent (they were refurbished a couple of years ago), have the odd small scuff here and there.

They are shod in matching ZR-rated Powertrac Racing Pro rubber that’s covered fewer than 3,000 miles.

The Midnight Black Metallic paintwork has held on to much of its shine and depth of lustre with impressive tenacity, which is all the more notable given that black is rightly considered to be the most unforgiving of hues.

That said, it’s not perfect. 

Nothing is. 

Not even stuff that left the factory yesterday.

And it’s our unpleasant job to find things to moan about, no matter how trivial, so here goes. 

We found a few stone chips on the front bumper; a burn through the lacquer to the paint on the bonnet adjacent to the chrome grille; on the driver’s side, some peeling paint at the top edge of the front wing, and a chip and some scratches on the driver’s door; some faded paint/lacquer in a few places on the roof; on the passenger side, a chip to the middle of the door and a crack to the wing mirror housing; and some light tarnishing to all door chromes.

Much of the above can no doubt be rectified or at least greatly improved by the judicious application of the right products and a decent polishing machine.

Either way, they are all pretty minor cosmetic issues.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all appear to be in very reasonable condition. 

We like the interiors of Jaguars.

Particularly ones where the saddlers and French polishers have really gone to town and the ambience created is very much that of a St. James’ gentlemen’s club.

This interior ticks those boxes for us.

The full leather upholstery is warmly inviting and extends beyond the seats to the steering wheel, door cards and dashboard.

The electrically operated and heated front seats are as comfortable as they are supportive. 

The only signs of wear are on a small patch of the outer bolster on the driver’s seat backrest. Otherwise, even entirely standard creases are in short supply. 

The front passenger and rear seats appear to be untroubled either by time or use.

The carpets and mats are all good, including those in the boot.

Toys include electrically powered steering wheel adjustment, a split-fold rear seat, automatic climate control, cruise control, a switchable gearbox, and a touchscreen satellite navigation system.

Because the seller does things properly and is an old hand when it comes to Japanese imports, the car has a UK-spec speedometer and sat-nav/radio system plus a brand-new headlining, which is a known Achilles’ heel with Jags of a certain vintage. 

The boot, which is as impressive as the rest of it, contains the factory fit warning triangle, tool kit, jack and space-saver spare wheel.

All of the delightful wooden elements are in very decent order and are a joy to behold. They have done a good job of resisting the temptation to crack, fade or shed their lacquer. 

The steering wheel, gear selector and handbrake all look good to us and, as far as we’re aware, all buttons, knobs, switches, levers, gauges and dials do what they’re asked to do in a timely, faithful and accurate manner.

The engine bay looks to be reassuringly clean, dry and tidy, and everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

Underneath the protective cowls and shrouds lurks a potent 3-litre petrol engine, mated to an auto ‘box. Good performance, decent fuel economy and, importantly, ULEZ/CAZ compliance.

The undersides of the car seem sound, solid and strong - nothing we’ve seen has given us any cause to tut, frown or otherwise question the car’s character or integrity. 

Which is hardly surprising, given that this car wouldn’t recognise salt if you showed it some pictures.

The car was given a major service in November 2023 – which is fewer than 3,000 miles ago.

At the same time, the following work was carried out.

4 new tyres; refurbished alloys; new pads and discs, front and rear; new coil packs, spark plugs, fluids and filters; new suspension bushes as required; new headliner; full machine polish and ceramic coating; LED headlamps; carry out full diagnostics and repair as required; new battery; UK spec sat-nav and MPH speedo face; new full size front numberplate plinth. 

There are other bills, invoices and receipts covering remedial work carried out by Audio Drive of Woking since then.

The car comes with an owner’s manual, full sets of keys, a recent HPI report, a V5C and an MoT certificate, with no advisories whatsoever, that’s valid until 22nd January 2027.

People who know their Jags know that the S-Type was always a far better car than most people (who’d never driven one) thought it was.

This particular example is one of the last built by Jaguar and, as ever, the nearer a model gets to the end of its production run, the more it becomes the car it should have been in the first place.

It is also a car that’s spent nearly all of its life on the salt-free roads of Japan where, no doubt whatsoever, it will have been royally treated and pampered like a Tamagotchi by its Japanese owner.

Low mileage, great condition, Japanese provenance…..what are you waiting for?

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £5,000 - £8,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.