1994 Jaguar XJS 6.0 V12 Anniversary

Now then.

Pour yourself a drink, put your feet up and make sure that your blood pressure is within safe parameters.

Why? Because what we’re about to tell you might prove too overwhelming for those of an excitable disposition or anyone who has an older model of pacemaker.

This 1994 Jaguar XJS 6.0-litre V12 Anniversary edition has 13,550 miles under its various belts.

And it’s in exceptional condition even for that ludicrously low mileage, never mind its age.

Still with us?

This car is about as close as you can get to concours territory without going the whole hog and spending the rest of your life in a manic frenzy of demented fettling, rubbing and polishing.

It is squeaky clean and has oodles of very comprehensive history with all the right dealers and specialists.

With a big lazy V12 that’s barely cleared its throat or amassed more than running-in miles, it drives as well as it looks.

And it looks wonderful.

It starts on the button, picks up pace in an effortless, languid, V12 style and is altogether smoother and more refined than a lightly oiled otter in a dinner suit.

As if to prove its mechanical credentials, it was driven to us from somewhere in Kent and, we’re reliably informed, it didn’t miss a beat.

The car comes to us courtesy of a vendor we know well and who is in the commendable and never-less-than-expensive habit of only ever buying the best examples of any given model for his impressive collection.

This car was registered on 1st July 1996 to its first owner. He kept the car until 2009, by which time the odometer has slowly crept up to a reading of 8,035 miles.

Every subsequent sale of the car from then until the current owner was brokered through the well-respected dealer, Robert Hughes.

The condition of the car is a testament to its receipt of levels of care and attention bordering on obsession.

Frankly, it has to be seen to be believed and we have no hesitation in saying that, in our opinion, it is one of the very best examples you could hope to find anywhere in the world.

This car presents stunningly well from every angle and is joy to behold.

The bodywork is straight, true and free of dents, bumps, dinks or creases from what we can see.

The shut lines on the doors and bonnet are wholly beyond reproach.

The black paint has a depth of shine and lustre to it that’s quite remarkable (not least because black is notoriously difficult to get right).

The wheels are untroubled by any evidence of kerbing and there are no scuffs or scratches on the rims that we can see.

We’d be very surprised if it left the factory in 1994 looking this good.

If we’re nit-picking – and we really are – we’d point to a tiny missing flake of lacquer on the n/s/r wheel, one of two very light swirly scratches atop the o/s/f and o/s/r wings, and a miniscule stone chip half way up the driver’s door.

These aren’t faults, they’re simply the only signs we could find that it’s ever been used at all.

The chrome-work is immaculate, as are the lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings.

The matching Dunlop SP Sport 01 tyres have plenty of tread left on them.

It’s all very, very good indeed.

The interior is every bit as impressive as its exterior counterpart and it’s almost impossible to believe that what you’re looking at and sitting in is 30 years old.

The penultimate owner was the sort of enthusiast who wouldn’t take it out on a really hot sunny day for fear of bleaching the wood veneers and inlays – and it shows.

The wood in here is richer and glossier than anything you’d find on a Sheraton sideboard.

The cream leather upholstery is in entirely time-warp condition and has yet to earn so much as a meaningful crease, let alone any sort of patina.

The carpets and mats are, of course, impeccable.

So too are the door cards and the headlining.

And the only deviation we can see from originality and authenticity is the addition of an aftermarket Alpine head unit.

All of the dashboard plastics are uniformly black, unfaded, uncracked and, well, as unremittingly unbelievable as the rest of it.

The instruments, dials, levers, switches and controls are all in faultless condition and, as far as we’re aware, everything does what it’s supposed to do without hesitation or complaint.

Naturally, the boot is in similarly fine fettle.

It contains what appears to be the original and mostly complete Jaguar tool box and a space saver wheel.

OK.

If you think the outside and the inside are impressive, wait until you see the engine bay and the undersides.

It’s a full-on Dorian Gray time-warp experience.

We know that the penultimate owner (a Jaguar/Lister enthusiast with a vast amount of knowledge on those marques) had his own automotive business to which he entrusted much of the mechanical work undertaken on the car.

There are pictures of the car during a process that saw the engine, gearbox, ancillaries, axles and suspension removed, refurbished and replaced.

There are itemised bills covering the work carried out and where the parts came from - SNG Barratt, Marshall, AJ6 Engineering, Demon Tweeks, etc.

The result is an engine and engine bay that would merit 5 stars on a food hygiene rating, never mind a mechanic’s reports, and undersides that honestly look so clean and solid it’s hard to believe that the car has ever been outside.

This car comes with plenty of invoices, receipts and bills going back to 2001, with the earlier service history having been lost.

All subsequent servicing, history and expenditure has been meticulously assigned to owner-specific folders, outlining how much was spent on what, when and why.

It comes with full sets of keys, a recent HPI report, various old MoT certificates, a Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate from 2017 and a V5C.

The car’s MoT certificate is valid until 13th November 2025.

Does the certificate have any advisories?

Don’t be silly.

At the time of writing, the internet is flecked with spittle and practically exploding with bulging-eyed fury at Jaguar’s newly unveiled branding and advertising ‘strategy’.

Now, while we don’t have a dog in that particular fight, we feel it’s our duty to point out that, in 1975, offices and pubs the length and breadth of the land were filled with very unhappy and shouty people who were loudly lamenting the introduction of Jaguar’s new XJ-S.

“The XJ-S is not a patch on the E Type!”, bellowed those who had clearly driven neither.

“Why couldn’t they just keep making the E Type for ever?”, opined gammon-hued denizens of the shires who didn’t quite grasp the concept of progress.

Meanwhile, the handful of people who had driven both an E type and an XJ-S were, quite rightly, astonished by just how much the latter made the former feel like a product of the Dark Ages and something that had clearly outlived its decidedly long-in-the-tooth technology.

The XJS was, and remains, a hugely underrated car – and the 6.0 litre V12 is the ultimate expression of the grace, space and pace it so beautifully encapsulates and delivers.

This particular XJS is, by a considerable margin, the best we’ve ever seen and ever expect to see outside of a museum or a winners’ enclosure at one of the more prestigious concours events.

It’s just fabulous.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £30,000 - £40,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays 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’.