1994 Jaguar XJ40 3.2

This 1994 Jaguar XJ40 has the 3.2-litre engine and has covered just 23794km (14,614 miles) & our vendor even has the Japanese mileage verification document from new. You read that correctly – this Jag has done fewer than 15,000 miles since it left Coventry in 1994. It was exported to Japan when new, which explains the incredibly low mileage figure – it’s not unknown for luxury cars in Japanese cities to cover very little ground.

Even more amazingly it’s had just one owner in all of its 28 years, and they’ve clearly cherished it as its condition is genuinely astonishing.

This is the final incarnation of the XJ40, which was heavily revised to accommodate the 6-litre V12 engine. In the early stages of the car’s development British Leyland were threatening to fit a Rover V8 rather allow their Jaguar division to develop a new engine, so the designers made sure the engine bay couldn’t accommodate such a configuration – hence the need for a redesigned engine bay later on.

This car shares many components that were developed for use on the following X300 model, from suspension, steering and brakes to interior switch gear. Being the last of the XJ40 line this Jag also has dual air bags fitted, and has the battery in boot.

The vendor says; ‘The condition is more like a three year old car rather than something that’s 28 years old. Every switch and button works as it should, drive wise the engine, steering, brakes, gearbox and suspension perform without fault and the car still has that tight, new feel throughout.

‘Having never been exposed to salted road surfaces there is zero corrosion that we can see from top to bottom and the paint work is still the factory original finish. An ultra rare find and these late XJ40's are the most desirable due to improved electronics and reliability, with values increasing year on year.’

The Original Brooklands Green paintwork is as close to unmarked as is possible to spot. We spent an hour staring at it trying to find a fault and, frankly, we can’t. The satin black parts are just as good too. The car sits on equally immaculate 16 inch Kiwi alloy wheels, shod with a full set of Pirelli tyres.

All the brightwork looks to be just as well preserved, and the rubber seals and bumper fixtures show no signs of sun damage. Was it kept in a climate controlled garage for all those years? It wouldn’t surprise us. It certainly wasn’t parked up round the back by the bins every night.

The XJ40 has more angular lines than the previous big XJ saloons and some purists were a tad grumpy about that when it was launched. But today the shape is classic Jaguar, and although we love the XJ6 to bits, the XJ40 is much easier to live with.

This car has the full UK spec four headlight front end and, as the Japanese drive on the left like us is, of course, right hand drive.

The seat are trimmed in oatmeal leather with velour inserts, and guess what? They’re nigh-on perfect. There’s some very slight signs of use on the driver’s seat bolster, but we do mean very slight. Other than that, nothing to report.

The red carpets, which contrast nicely with the seats, are in fine condition and the woodwork is absolutely perfect as far as we can see. In fact it’s hard to argue with the seller’s assertion that the car looks more like a three year old, rather than one that’s actually nearly 30.

This car has the top spec 10 way electric memory seats and we’re assured all the electrics work just as Jaguar intended. Being a very late XJ40 it also comes with twin airbags and heated front seats. The seller assures us that the air conditioning system will happily blow ice cold air all day long.

Inside the boot the tool kit looks unused and like new, as does the space saver spare tyre. And if the boot itself was ever used for transporting golf clubs then they were very well cleaned beforehand, as it too, is unmarked.

The Japanese don’t chuck salt all over their roads in winter time. That and the fact that this car has full UK spec undersealing means that bending down to look at the underpinnings reveals no horror stories. In fact it’s more a fairy tale really. No rust, and barely even any surface corrosion on suspension parts. Even sections of the exhaust system are still shiny.

As for the engine bay – wow! You occasionally see a time warp car like this, but generally speaking when you lift the bonnet the age starts to show a little more. Not on this car. The engine bay could genuinely be three years old. All painted surfaces are still intact, plated parts are barely tarnished and plastic parts still look as though they were just moulded.

All the stickers are still there, and are perfectly readable too – if you speak Japanese.

There’s a full service history, although you’ll need to polish up your Japanese language skills if you want to read the details of it. Sorry – our's is a bit rusty.

The original handbooks, again in Japanese are also present, as is a

Japanese mileage verification certificate. And remember, this is a one owner from new car.

The car has a current MoT, which runs until Jan 30th 2023, and the seller advises us that it ‘Drives as new.’

If there’s a more original, lower mileage and totally original Jaguar XJ40 for sale at the moment, we'd be surprised. This is a genuine "time warp" car and whoever is lucky enough to buy it will very likely own the best one on the country. Interest is sure to be extremely high, so get your bidding boots on pronto.

Our estimate for this car Is £8,000 - £13,000 & the car is being sold without reserve.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 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’.