1991 Jaguar XJS

In the seller’s care for the past year, ‘A18 XXJ’ is a facelifted Jaguar XJS that’s finished in metallic Oyster Gold with a cream hide interior.

And that finish is recent; as you can see from the invoices on file, it’s had around £30,000 invested in it over the past four years, including a professional respray in its original colour.

Invoices for a £7,000-engine rebuild in November 2022 prove the mechanical side wasn’t neglected, and it’s over covered around 1,000 miles since, leaving it nicely run-in and ready for its next owner to enjoy.

The exhaust has been replaced with a stainless-steel system, a reconditioned gearbox and torque convertor were installed, and the front and rear subframes were removed and overhauled.

The cabin benefits from retrimmed front seats, cant rails, and the centre console. New carpets were made up too, and a new headlining, wood trim kit, and aftermarket central locking kit were fitted. It now smells like new again.

Which brings us to the question of why someone would make such a huge investment.

Apparently, the XJS’s first owner tracked the car down after many years apart and decided to bring it back to the condition he remembered. Sadly, he died shortly after it was completed, at which point our seller saw it and fell in love.

The bodywork restoration by L&M Classics in 2022 included having any corrosion professionally removed and new metal let in. A good secondhand boot lid was fitted too, before the whole car was treated to a respray in Oyster Gold.

The original oblong headlamps were never the XJS's finest feature, and with replacements long since unavailable, this car has been treated to the highly desirable twin round headlamp conversion,  one of the most popular and stylish modifications in the XJS world, and one that many would argue the car should have had from the start. A further benefit is that the conversion accepts modern, higher-performance bulbs without any wiring modifications, making it a practical upgrade as well as a visual one. The remaining lamp lenses are all in good order, save for a crack to the offside outer rear, where the surrounding trim is also very slightly misaligned, a minor cosmetic point and nothing more.

The headlamps are set into a chrome trim panels, and these are both in a good condition too with no serious pitting, tarnishing, or other signs of aging. The rest of the chromework is impressive, as are the black rubber inserts into the front and rear bumpers.

The rear badges have been removed, and the bonnet badge is faded but we think the latter just adds character and authenticity; overall, the XJS makes a striking impression, with a very good shine to the paint, which has in turn been applied to a set of ripple-free panels that are also very well aligned.

The 6.5Jx15 lattice alloy wheels have only a few minor scuffs around their perimeter plus overspray from when the car was undersealed.

Tyres are a pair of Nankang Tour Sport on the rear axle and a pair of Sunny Power Touring on the front. They do have good tread left but are getting on a bit now, so it might be worth budgeting for a new set to enable you to make the most of the refreshed suspension

The respray provides a solid base, and the few blemishes that have gathered since are minor and expected on a living, breathing classic,  light stonechips to the bonnet and scuttle corners, a small dent to the offside front wing, a chip to the nearside door's rear edge, and some overspray on the door and rear window rubbers. The inner headlamps have hazed slightly too, though all of these points are well within the reach of a careful detailer.

There are a couple of areas of rust showing , above the rear window and at the top of the nearside door, which are worth addressing to preserve the car's overall condition. The aerial is an inexpensive swap, as is a replacement cap for the offside wiper arm — small jobs that will make an immediate difference.

We're happy to announce that the very desirable private plate is also included in the sale.

The retrimmed cabin looks great, doesn’t it?

Obviously, it should given the size of the cheques the previous owner wrote but the combination of fresh veneer trim and butter-soft leather is every bit as wonderful as you’d expect of such an iconic luxury sportscar; and given Jaguar’s recent woes – and battleship-sized forthcoming EV – we suspect the time isn’t too far off when we’ll prize craftsmanship and analogue interfaces like this even more highly than we do now.

Because it blends tactility and luxury with just enough toys to provide a very satisfying environment: Press a button or move a lever and it gives haptic feedback; turn the steering wheel and you can actually feel what the front tyres are doing; and there is a precisely engineered connection between your right foot and the 238bhp available to you.

The new stainless-steel exhaust adds a beautifully metered exhaust note into the balance; while new sportscars channel fake engine noise into the cabin through the sound-system, the XJS turns petrol into unadulterated noise and seamless motion.

The electrically-adjustable front seats are both snug and comfortable, reinforcing Jaguar’s claim to have balanced a luxury cabin and a sporting chassis better than almost anyone else. Soft and cossetting yet still capable of holding you firm during spirited cornering, the £850 bill for retrimming them was worth every penny.

No XJS is without its little foibles, and the list here is reassuringly short — the headlining, although recently replaced, has begun to sag slightly in one area; the window switch panel carries a small crack; the driver's mat has been cable-tied in place; the boot trim is in need of a freshen up; and there is a little wear to the driver's door armrest. These are, however, the sum total of our findings,  minor interior points that are easily and inexpensively addressed, and well within the reach of any enthusiast. For a car of this age, it is a remarkably small list.

With around £30,000 invested in the mechanicals, bodywork and interior over the past four years, the heavy lifting on this XJS is well and truly done. The engine, gearbox, subframes and interior have all been comprehensively sorted, and as detailed in this listing, only a handful of cosmetic finishing touches remain between this car and a truly stunning example. A focused owner could finish what's been started here for a fraction of what's already been spent.

If the engine bay represents the weakest area of the car cosmetically, that speaks volumes about everything else, all it needs is a clean and a rattle-can refresh of a few components, a pleasant afternoon's work. More importantly, any cosmetic considerations are entirely skin-deep, because underneath that beautifully painted bonnet sits a freshly rebuilt straight-six that idles and revs with effortless, velvety smoothness. Jaguar's legendary civility is engineered in, not bolted on.

It shows good oil pressure too – and have we mentioned how nice the exhaust note is?

And the Falcon stainless-steel exhaust system looks as good as it sounds, and it’s worth making the effort to kneel down to admire how nicely it’s been fabricated.

There’s evidence of fresh underseal too, although this has worn away in places, leaving a little surface corrosion, so sorting that should also be near the top of your To Do list.

The front floorpans also have light surface corrosion inside, so you might like to investigate that at the same time.

NB: The XJS looks like it may be sitting a little high but given the front and rear subframes were overhauled so recently, it may not have settled into its usual ride height yet.

The XJS’s MoT certificate expires in April 2027.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar an alleged change of colour from beige to gold, which we suspect wasn’t a change at all.

The history file includes a summary of the work that’s been carried out along with dozens of invoices, lots of old MoT certificates, and the Jaguar wallet and book pack.

It also comes with a Jaguar Electrical Guide and an official Service Manual.

Being offered with a guide price of between £6,000 and £9,000, the seller has sufficient confidence in her car to offer it with no reserve, so it’ll be going to a new home once the very first bid has been placed.

And it would offer stellar value, even at the upper end of that; has effortless and stylish grand touring ever been more accessible?

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’.