1997 Jaguar XK8 Convertible

‘P395 LJB’ is a Jaguar XK8 Convertible that’s been in the seller’s care since 1999. A friend of his bought it new in 1997, and after admiring it from afar he managed to prise it away from him – and given the chap he bought it from was one of the founders of Autotrader, being able to buy it direct was more of a coup than it might have seemed.*

After enjoying it for many years, including a trip to Italy, he hasn’t used it much in the last decade, covering only around 4,000 miles in that time but keeping it safely stored in his garage on a trickle charger and starting it regularly.

Finished in Anthracite with a luxurious cream hide and walnut interior, it was driven to us and it being offered in an untouched condition; this is an honest car that wears its faults as openly as it does its many good points.

* Older readers will recall that Autotrader was a paper/magazine long before it was a website, and many of us bought a copy on release day to read over an early breakfast to try and bag a bargain before the rest of the world had even woken up. 
 

Anthracite (paint code PDX) is as close to being black as makes no practical difference, which means it’s a difficult colour for an older car to pull off, ruthlessly highlighting flaws in both itself and the panels it’s been applied to.

This XKR is no exception, with many chips, marks, and swirls evident across most of the panels. There’s also a small dink on the boot lid, and a large scratch along the rear bumper.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that the panels themselves aren’t too bad at all. Free of major damage like dents and ripples, this is one of those rare cases where somewhat negative first impressions are eased on closer examination.

Moving on, the 18-inch alloy wheels have some light kerbing scuffs to their rims as well as alloy corrosion, which has lifted the finish.

As for the tyres, they’re a mixed bag with Continental ContiSport on the front and a Pirelli P-Zero and one new Kormoran UHP on the rear. The three older tyres were made as far back as 2011 and, as you’d expect, they are perished.

All the lamp lenses are in good shape, with the exception of the nearside rear, which is cracked and damaged.

The black folding roof is in a very good condition; it sits nice and taut when it’s erected, and tucks away neatly when it isn’t. It transitions between the two states well and it does it all at the touch of a button. It’s also got a proper heated glass rear screen.

Apart from the marks we’ve already mentioned there is some rust, including around the lips and inside the wheelarches as well as the sills. 
 

The Cream leather interior (trim code NDR) is underpinned by brown leather trim to the steering wheel as well as the top of the dashboard and doors.

This two-tone design is further supported by brown carpets and brown seatbelts. Add a hefty quantity of (very good) walnut trim and you could be forgiven for thinking it might be a bit, er, brown.

But it actually works brilliantly against the Anthracite coachwork; timeless and elegant, it’s a colour scheme that’s never going to go out of fashion.  

It’s survived well too, with only light cracking to the driver’s seat, along with an area of colour loss and one small hole. The other three seats are in a much better condition with only minimal creasing and no damage, so if you feel the need to improve the cabin, there’s only the one seat to worry about.

Because the carpets are good, including the heel protector in the driver’s footwell which is free of wear-related damage.

The door cards are also in great shape, as is the armrest between the driver and front-seat passenger, which is almost always worn. Even the cupholders deploy on command and the air-conditioning blows nice and cold.

There is a good quantity of toys too including heated and electrically adjustable seats, air-conditioning, and electric windows, door mirrors, and roof.

The boot is a good size and contains a space-saver spare wheel. As for its condition, while some of the hard plastics are scratched, the carpet is decent.

Which brings us to the question of what other work the car needs doing inside.

The steering wheel would benefit from being cleaned, so you might as well unleash your favourite valeter on the rest of the interior while they’re at it.

A piece of trim is also missing from the headlining, the trim that runs along the top of the windscreen is starting to warp, the nearside rear seat has a dark mark on it, and the heater and radio displays are broken.
 

The services on file include:

•    23.01.1997 and 1,553 miles – service by Lancaster Jaguar
•    22.01.2002 and 21,448 miles – service by Merritts Jaguar
•    17.12.2007 and circa 48,000 miles – replacement engine by Prestige Engine Products at a cost of £3,812
•    13.10.2011 and 68,445 miles – service by Stan-Rod Motors
•    03.06.2014 and (unknown) miles – service by Stan-Rod Motors
•    10.11.2014 and 74,185 miles – engine work including an oil service by Fenn Motor Works Ltd

The seller has been in the motor trade his whole life, so it was only natural for him to ask the technicians in his workshop to service it for him, which explains the lack of paperwork.  

The V8 engine bursts into life with enthusiasm and quickly settles into a steady idle. It also shows both good oil pressure and a healthy charge to the (new in 2024) battery.

Of course, its civility is undercut by one of the finest exhaust notes of the nineties and beyond, but then you wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?

The Man from the Ministry has mentioned rust a few times, most notably at the front in 2014, and the rear in 2024. The former was a failure (and therefore it must have been repaired) while the latter was an advisory.

We can see some welded repairs plus some rust and flaking underseal.

We also note the covers for the ignition coils are missing on both banks of cylinders, as are the covers for the piece of trim that sits between the bonnet and the windscreen.
 

The Jaguar’s MoT certificate is valid until July 2026, the recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the Jaguar’s still in possession of two keys and one remote fob.

The history file also contains the Jaguar wallet and book pack, a good selection of tax discs and expired MoT certificates, and a large number of invoices and bills for servicing and repairs over the years including a nigh-on £3,000-bill for engine work in 2014. 
 

Buying any 28-year-old XKR means taking a brave pill before writing the cheque, but this one fares better than most; while many have limped from one MoT to another as they are shuffled from one desperate owner to the next, this one’s been in the same careful hands for the past 26 years.

That shouldn’t be discounted.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £5,000 - £8,000.

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