2014 Jaguar XK 5.0

‘Italian Racing Red’ with a black fabric hood, this luxury-focused XK ‘Signature’ model - with a 385PS 5.0-litre V8 engine - is fitted with plenty of optional extras, including a few of those usually specified for the ‘Autograph’ models. 

Highlights include wheel arch spats, high-line door trim, heated and cooled luxury front seats, B&W premium sound system, space saver wheel, 20” ‘Kalimnos’ wheels, bright stainless-steel pedals, and figured ebony veneers.

It comes to us courtesy of a gentleman who is well-known to several of the team here at HQ and whom we know to be an informed, and particular, classic car enthusiast.

He has, over the years, been the proud owner of various bits of pedigree automotive exotica, including fine examples from Browns Lane and Hethel.

This car was bought for high days and holidays, only coming out to play when the sun was shining, the tarmac was warm and dry, and a country pub beckoned somewhere on a far horizon. 

The vendor has owned the car for 8 years, the car having had one previous private owner and, before that, serving as a demonstrator for the Jaguar dealership to which it was initially delivered.

It has a paltry 29,318 miles on the odometer and has always been serviced and maintained exclusively by Jaguar main dealers.

The car’s exceptional condition – outside, inside and underneath – is far more a reflection of its low miles and conscientious curation than its age. 

We have driven the car and can attest to its enduring engineering integrity, build quality and dynamic prowess. 

It feels very tightly screwed together, is reassuringly bereft of any extraneous creaks, rattles, groans or sighs, and is to all intents and purposes pretty much a new car that just happens to be 10 years old.

It’s really very impressive indeed.

It’s also a delight to drive. 

The performance of these cars always impresses, and this example is certainly no exception.

It presses on with boundless enthusiasm, rewarding every flex of the right foot with a delightfully visceral roar from the mighty 5.0-litre V8, and it handles with balance, poise and surprisingly nimbleness for a big GT car.

Its MoT is valid until 11.11.24 and has no advisories.

The vendor is only selling because he doesn’t feel he gets to use the car sufficiently. 

He looks back fondly on various trips and tours taken in the XK, including one to visit the D-Day beaches of Normandy.

We liked to think that he swept into Arromanches-les-Bains in this quintessentially British car, with the hood down and Elgar blasting from the Bowers & Wilkins, while teary-eyed Frenchmen rushed out to shake his hand and offer him a pastis.

From a few metres away the car looks pretty much as good as new.

Get closer and that opinion still holds.

The panels, panels gaps and shut-lines are even, crisp and consistent. 

The bodywork is excellent and is wholly uncompromised by any dinks, dents, creases or folds that we can see.

The black fabric hood is following the same script. It goes up and down as it should, fits snugly and is free of any holes, nicks or tears.

The bright red paintwork has plenty of shine and lustre and really pops and sings in the sunshine.

The big 20” wheels are broadly very good, save for a couple of scuffs on the front rims, and the matching Pirelli P-Zeros look to have plenty of life left in them.

There are a few tiny stone chips on the bonnet, around the ‘nose’ of the car and on the front valance, but even these are more notable for their small size and number than their presence.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all beyond reproach and have resisted the passage of time with commendable stoicism.

The good news continues unabated on the inside, where the quality and condition of the luxurious trim give the interior a particularly classy and inviting ambience.

The ivory leather upholstery is in fine order, front and back, and the seats have yet to earn a meaningful crease, let alone any ingrained patina.

The seats look as factory-fresh and good-to-go as the rest of it, aside from one or two light worry lines around the bolsters - but who among us can honestly claim to be free of those? 

They are also supportive, comfortable and fully functional.

The Alcantara roof lining and headlining is unmarked and is in fine fettle, as are the door cards.

The ebony veneer inserts on the dashboard are free of any nicks, scratches or de-lacquering that we can discern, and the black carpets and mats have held up very well.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch, but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told without complaining.

As far as the vendor is aware, everything works as it should.

The black leather on the centre armrest might thank the next owner for the application of a little leather feed and a small dollop of elbow grease.

The boot is immaculate and contains a space-saver wheel and a first-aid kit.

The engine bay looks clean and dry (not that you can see much of it because of various plastic shrouds and covers) and everything seems to be in its right and proper place. 

The undersides of the car appear to have plenty of structural integrity and are entirely in keeping with what you’d expect to find on a fair-weather, always-garaged car with fewer that 30,000 miles on the clock.

This car comes with a fully stamped-up main dealer service history demonstrating that no expense has been spared on its upkeep and maintenance at any point during its life. 

It also comes with a recent, clear HPI check and a full set of manuals, handbooks and guides. 

These were, and still are, very fine cars.

This example ticks all the right boxes in terms of provenance, low miles, low ownership, continuous main dealer service history and, of course, condition.

If you’re thinking of holding out in the hope of a better one coming along – well, good luck.

We’re pretty sure that you’ll be in for a very long wait.

We’re confident to offer this excellent vehicle for auction with an estimate of £28,000 - £32,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, 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, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.