1991 Jaguar XJ-S

Imported from Japan in July 2019, this wonderful Jaguar XJ-S is in a much better condition than cars that have spent their whole lives here in salt-drenched Britain. 

Fitted with the mighty 5.3-litre V12 engine, it is finished in Savoy Grey with a matching Saville Grey leather interior.

Recommissioned by Ken Jenkins, this original and unmolested example has been in the care of the seller since 2022, when it was purchased through this very platform. In this time, it has only covered a shade over 600 miles.

Please note that these photographs are from the previous time the car was listed, and it is now on the registration plate 'H913 RTX'.

The Savoy Grey coachwork looks splendid. It’s a great colour anyway but the condition of the panels turns this example from a good looking XJ-S into a great one.

They fit well, for a start, but the best thing is the absence of the usual dents, dinks and other damage that you see on most examples. These, on the other hand, are free of all that sort of thing and show the XJ-S’s lines to perfection.

The rest of the exterior trim is similarly impressive. The front air dam is still black and undamaged. It’s still got the factory light lenses too, something that’s becoming increasingly important given how hard they are becoming to source. It’s the same story for the other lens, the glazing, and the badges. All are good.

The 15-inch lattice alloy wheels are, as you can see, in great shape as well. They are also fitted with four matching and very recent Uniroyal RainExpert3 tyres, all of which still have plenty of tread.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Flaws are remarkably few. Aside from the usual stone chips and minor marks every car accumulates over the years, a small paint chip has been filled in on the nearside scuttle panel/bulkhead (#84) and there are some light scratches around the door and boot locks. There’s also a minor rubbing mark on the boot (#46), some chipping to the edge of the driver’s door (#77 and #121), and a rubbing mark on the nearside front corner (#88).

The grey leather seats are in a very good condition with only light creasing and minor colour loss sullying what is otherwise an impressively unmarked interior; that we can lead with a flaw like this says everything about the quality of the rest.

Because, at a period in their lives when most of the XJ-Ss you see are sporting peeling veneer, scuffed leather, and holes in the carpet, this one still looks fresh and very presentable.

The headlining, which almost always sags, still looks good. The carpets are in a good condition too, as are the door cards, veneer trim, and dashboard top. Even places like the door shuts are clean and fresh; it’s very hard to fake long-term curation of this quality and there’s nothing here that sets our Spidey senses tingling.

NB: The instrument cluster has been changed to a UK one that we are informed by the previous owner had 30,000 miles on it. The old JDM one, which shows 50,000kms, is in the (very clean) boot along with a spare alloy wheel and the tool kit.

This means there is little to worry about. There are some marks on the nearside front door card, and the trim around the dashboard could do with being tided but that’s all minor and nothing to fret about.

Recommissioned by Ken Jenkins with new cambelts, drivebelts, an ignition module and, we are told, four new rear dampers to get it match fit for a European road trip planned by the previous owner that was scuppered by Covid, as you can see in the video, the XJ-S starts and runs nicely.

The engine bay looks hideously complicated at first glance but closer inspection shows it’s not as complex as you first think. Still, let’s face it, if you’re an engineer you didn’t think it looked complicated in the first place – and if you’re not an engineer you’re not going to be doing much more than routine servicing on a V12 engine anyway, are you?

We are told that the XJ-S has been undersealed from new and benefits from having its cavities injected with wax during the previous ownership.

MoT’d until April 2025, the most recent two tickets were gained with no advisories. (Please note that the mileage has been mis-recorded in miles rather than kilometres…)

The Jaguar comes with its original factory book pack plus a current V5 registration document and paperwork from Japan.

The recent Vehicle History Check shows nothing of note.

The Jaguar XJ-S’s time has come; after years of being unappreciated and ignored, discerning buyers are starting to understand their unique appeal.

That mighty V12 engine, for example, just gets on with the job of wafting the car’s occupants around at indecently high speeds in almost complete silence while the interior cossets and nurtures like few others.

These traits only hold true as long as you buy the right car though because a poorly maintained and rotten example is capable of breaking you, and your bank balance, faster than anything else in its price range.

The trouble is, while there are good UK cars, they’re few and far between these days, often falling victim to the twin evils of salt-laden winter roads and indifferent maintenance from impoverished owners when they were languishing in the doldrums. Cars from Japan, on the other hand, usually fare much better - as you can see.

And yet, for all its positive attributes, many folk are still (unnecessarily) scared of ‘em, which has kept the price artificially depressed. This means that this one, one with 31,000 miles on the clock, could be yours for somewhere between £11,000 and £15,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Wantage, Oxfordshire. 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’.