2006 Jaguar XKR-S 4.2 'White Badge'

The car’s very good overall condition is a testament to the diligent care and curation it received at the hands of its two owners from new.

The first of these owners bought the car new from a dealership in Japan, and the car spent the next 11 years of its life in the Land Of The Rising Sun.

We mention that because, well, it really matters.

It may be something of a cliché to talk about the roll of ‘honour’ in Japanese society and culture, but it’s no exaggeration to say that this tradition is alive and well in the Japanese motor trade, where there is no place for Trotter-san or Daley-san.

People really look after their cars properly in Japan, and all the more so if the cars in question are expensive prestige imports such as a Jaguar, Bentley or Rolls-Royce.

This is a world in which mechanics are assiduously diligent in their work, dealers are scrupulously honest in their valuations, and owners take OCD levels of pride in the care and attention they lavish upon their cars.

Unlike the UK, Japan does not salt its roads, consequently, Japanese imports almost always have panels and undersides with less corrosion than their British counterparts.

Another thing you should know about the car trade in Japan is that Japanese auction houses grade used cars on a sliding scale and the grades they award are gold-plated, bullet-proof, sure-fire, bona-fide, nailed-on and utterly trustworthy.

To give you an idea of how the grading scale is calibrated, 1 means ‘run and hide from this nightmare’, and 5 means ‘it’s as good as new in every possible respect’.

This car was given a rating of 4.5 when it was 11 years old.  Given that cars with a rating of 5 are rarer than teeth on a particularly endangered breed of hen, you’ll be getting a sense of the car’s quality.

The good news about this car didn’t end when it set sail on a UK-bound ship from the Shinagawa container terminal.

Far from it.

Its good fortune continued because it had been bought by the vendor, a man who has upheld the proud tradition of his Japanese forbear by taking an equal amount of care of the car and sparing no expense or effort in its servicing, repair and maintenance. Our vendor tells us "since the cars import it has never been driven on winter roads, it is garaged from October to March / April in a dehumidified "carcoon" storage pod. This is evidenced by the total lack of any corrosion anywhere on the car. Its 7 year UK MoT history shows ( apart from 1 fail for an improper number plate, and an advisory for a worn tyre ) an unblemished record."

He is only selling it because the slow march of time has meant that he now finds easing his 6ft 5inch frame in and out of it rather less easy than he used to.

This two-owners-from-new car has 73,722kms on the clock, which equates to a paltry 45,808 miles.

The car comes with a factory-fitted ‘R Performance’ handling pack option, which includes revised damper settings, uprated road springs and anti-roll bar, re-tuned steering and a lower vehicle stance.

The bodywork is untroubled, and the panel gaps and shut lines are as crisp and even as anything Good King Wenceslas ever looked out upon, and the doors close with the right amount of heft and precision.

The ‘Copper Black’ metallic paint has held up pretty well and remains possessed of a good deal of shine and lustre.

That said, there are a couple of patches of rather flat looking paint here and there, but these are nothing that a competent machine polisher couldn’t consign to history with an hour or two of honest toil.

We noticed a few light scuffs on the o/s/r wheel-arch and a faint scratch above the filler cap on the nearside.

There are a couple of slightly deeper scratches on the bodywork just behind the nearside door; some light, swirly scratches on the roof; a small stone chip repair atop the o/s/f wing; and some blistering on the strip of plastic trim at the top of the driver’s door beneath the window.

Aside from that, there’s just a standard number and distribution of stone chips, scuffs and scratches in the usual places – the front valance, bonnet, the ‘nose’ of the car, and on top of the front wings.

The 20” BBS alloys are apparently unacquainted with kerbs or other roadside obstacles and are shod in matching Pirelli P-Zero rubber.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are in very good order. 

All the other distinguishing features like the white Growler badge, the red Brembo four-piston brake calipers that clench cross-drilled discs, and the body-coloured Signature rear blade are present and correct and just as impressively preserved as everything else.

You won’t be in the least surprised to discover that the interior is every bit as well preserved as its exterior counterpart.

The ‘Ivory’ leather seats have only a little very light wear on the outer bolster of the driver’s seat backrest to show for their years of service, and the condition of the rest of the interior is far more a reflection of the car’s low mileage than its age.

As ever, the back seats look as if they’ve rarely played host to any passengers.

Front and back, the seats are comfortable and supportive.

The car’s carpets and mats aren’t letting the side down in any way, and neither are the door cards or headlining.

The wood veneers on the dashboard, centre console and inserts have fared well save for a couple of thin cracks to the lacquer between the dials above the centre console.

The steering wheel, gear selector, handbrake and other controls are all beyond criticism and, as far as we and the vendor are aware, all dials, knobs, switches, buttons and levers do what they’re told without deviation, hesitation or repetition.

The driver also benefits from drilled aluminium pedals, an R Performance leather steering wheel, an R Performance leather gear selector from Momo, and an electrically adjustable steering column, cruise control, and a premium Alpine sound system with a six-CD multichanger and Bluetooth connectivity.

Other gizmos include drive away automatic door locking, a remote tailgate and petrol flap release, automatic headlamps with Powerwash, and front cupholders.

The headlining, which often fails, is taut and clean and the rest of the interior appointments are excellent.

The boot is in fine fettle and contains a space-saver spare wheel and a soft car cover.

In summary, it’s all very good indeed.
 

The mechanical specification is just as impressive with highlights that include that 400bhp supercharged V8 engine, a ZF six-speed automatic gearbox and Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS).

The engine bay is so clean and nicely presented that few will find fault with the way it looks.

As the video shows it fires into life with a thunderous roar before settling into an immediate idle. It revs well too, and the exhaust note is every bit as spine-tingling as you’d hope.

Everything inside the very full engine bay is present, correct, clean and dry.

Much the same can be said for the car’s undersides, which are displaying all the structural integrity and general soundness we’ve come to expect from Japanese import cars.  In fact, the underneath of this car is really quite pristine!

The car comes with the all-important Jaguar Heritage Trust Production Record Trace Certificate, which tells us that the car is original and authentic.

It also comes with a service book bristling with main dealer stamps from its time in Japan. The detail of the work carried out is written in Japanese, and we confess to having let our conversational Japanese language skills slip a little in recent years.

There’s an equally impressive (and somewhat easier to read) history trail covering its time in the UK, with all work carried out by main dealers and respected marque specialists such as Inchcape and the North Wales Jag Centre.

We know from a file of bills, invoices and receipts that the car’s automatic transmission was overhauled and serviced (using the right kit) in 2020, when it had 67,00kms on the odometer.

The car was last serviced on 24.7.25, with the work carried out by the North Wales Jag Centre.
   
The car comes with its books, guides and manuals (mostly in Japanese), full sets of keys, a recent HPI report, and a V5C.

The car’s MoT certificate is valid until 7.8.26. 
 

The Jaguar XKR was always a bit a Q car, a sleeper, but one that the true cognoscenti rated very highly indeed.

If you knew, you knew.

In any shape or form, it was blistering quick and more than capable of embarrassing rather flashier German or Italian offerings at the traffic lights.

In XKR-S form, and particularly with the ‘R Performance’ handling pack, it was without doubt one of the most potent and rewarding cars of its day.

This one has the very real benefits of low ownership, low mileage and having spent half of its life in Japan.

It’s a whole lot of car, and it’s sure to be a whole lot of fun for its next owner.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £18,000 - £25,000.

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’.