1989 Jaguar XJR-S

First run as a company car by a London-based advertising agency - does it get any more 1980s than that - this wonderful Jaguar XJR-S is finished in Signal Red with a cream hide interior.

Recently recommissioned by a well-known Jaguar and classic car expert, as a later example it benefits from the six-litre V12 engine that was unique to the model and endows the XJR-S with a top speed of 160mph.

Now said to be “driving well”, it still offers scope to add value making it likely to appeal to the Jaguar enthusiast with a keen eye for a bargain.

We’d rather not shoot cars in the rain but given how awful the winter’s been, sometimes we don’t have a choice.

Like here, and while the water droplets might flatter the paintwork, the seller, who we know to be an honest chap and well respected in the business, describes it as “presents well, with a few small cosmetic imperfections including some bubbling to the nearside rear wheel arch.” 

You can see the latter problem clearly in the photos, and because few colours are as easy to match as Signal Red (colour code CFC), localised repairs should be more straightforward than they would be on a metallic car, for example.

And even under all that water, the quality of the panels is clear to see. Perfectly aligned and sporting consistent shutlines, we can’t see anything here to raise alarm bells. On the contrary, in fact; it looks like one of the better ones we’ve seen.

It’s still got the (increasingly rare) oval headlamps too, which is a real plus; in the rarified world of collector cars the value is generally in the originality and while the Federal-spec ones people fit these days might get the job done, they just don’t look right, do they?

It’s still got the 16-inch JaguarSport alloy wheels that are unique to the model too, and they are not only in a good condition but are fitted with matching Michelin Pilot Sport tyres all round, with 225/50ZR16 on the front and 255/50ZR16 on the rear.

Fitted new in September 2023, they’re still like new and should have years of life left in them yet. As well they might because they set the seller back more than £1,500.

Because he doesn’t do things by half and the fact he’s gone to the expense of fitting them reinforces our belief 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.

Everything else is good, including the badges, window glass, and lamp lenses – and not forgetting, of course, the all-important TWR rear spoiler, side skirts, and front and rear bumpers that elevate the XJR-S’s profile from being merely beautiful to semi-mythical. 

The cream leather interior is very of-the-period and all the better for being so; if you’re going to drive a 1980’s sportscar then you might as well go all in, eh?

And it’s not as if it’s a Kermit Green Porsche 928, is it? Jaguar has long been known for its interiors and this one maintains that proud heritage, albeit with an overtly sporting twist.

Most obvious of which are the heavily bolstered front seats. Piped in red to match the vibrant colour of the coachwork, they’re very comfortable, very supportive, and utterly in keeping with the XJR-S’s design brief of being capable of setting a lap record at Silverstone before lunch and then crossing Europe before dinner. 

They’re also heated and electrically adjustable.

The two rear seats are small but perfectly formed. Better suited for children that adults, their condition is even better than those ahead of them.

The door cards are the same colour as the seats, as is the steering wheel, centre console, armrest, and gear knob.

There’s also a smattering of walnut trim, plus dark grey carpets.

The dashboard features JaguarSport-branded round instruments for road speed and engine revolutions, and these flank four vertical gauges that give information on fuel level, battery charge, oil pressure, and coolant temperature.

The display on the rudimentary digital trip computer works too, and that’s not something you can take for granted on older cars.

It’s also got ‘Speed Control’ and who doesn’t love a car that is so resolutely Old School when it comes to labelled its toys? 

A new headlining was fitted in 2008, and Fry and Sons made a repair to the driver’s seat while the Jaguar was with them.

The boot contains the space-saver spare wheel, the tool kit, and the new battery we’ll talk about later.

As for flaws, there is some wear to the driver’s seat pad, some of the stitching in the base of the rear seat has come loose, the rev counter doesn’t work, and the carpets in the boot are grubby.

The headlining is also mildewed and marked, especially on the padded sections above the doors and on the C-pillars. We suspect the headlining could be cleaned but the rest will probably need to be replaced.

However, we consider the lack of a sunroof to be in its favour because not only does it remove a potential source of leaks, it also adds a little headroom, making the XJR-S more accessible to tall drivers.

The video demonstrates that the fuel-injected V12 engine starts well and shows a healthy charge to the battery. The oil pressure builds nicely too, and it idles and revs as it should. 

Silky-smooth, even at high revs and boasting an awesome exhaust note, the seller describes the XJR-S as “mechanically good,” going on to say it “drives well and would certainly benefit from regular usage by a new owner.”

But then this is a car with an uncommonly well-documented history as you’ll see in the next section.

The underside is pretty good but if you were to spend a couple of hours with a wire brush sorting out some of the surface corrosion on the suspension components and having the engine bay valeted, few would accuse you of being overly fastidious. 

It’s not that either are especially bad, you understand, more that everything else is so clean that we can see the new owner might like to indulge in a round of levelling up.

As for genuine faults, there is a scuff on the underside of the front valence.

‘JAG 160L’ was first registered by Grange Jaguar Brentwood in November 1989 and supplied to The PML Agency PLC, an advertising company based in London. 

Who put to good use covering nearly 37,000 miles by June 1992, and nearly 50,000 miles by September 1993. 

They looked after it though, and the service history booklet records the following:

• 28.11.1998 and 1,034 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 05.06.1990 and 7,678 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 05.12.1990 and 15,769 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 14.05.1991 and 21,077 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 26.11.1991 and 28,901 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 04.06.1992 and 36,908 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 15.02.1993 and 43,507 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 27.09.1993 and 49,255 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 09.06.1994 and 55,058 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 06.06.1995 and 63,973 miles – service by Hi-Tech Autocentre Brentwood
• 23.06.1995 and 64,212 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 08.07.1996 and 71,129 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar
• 19.03.1997 and 76,145 miles – service by Grange Motors Jaguar

As the list shows, Grange Motors Jaguar were responsible for the overwhelming majority of the services through to March 1997, by which point the car had covered just over 75,000 miles. 

Since then, the car hasn’t even covered a thousand miles a year and the routine maintenance for this period includes a service by Station Road Garage in July 2007 at 95,748 miles before Luden Automotive recommissioned the Jaguar in December 2021.

The work was as thorough as we come to expect from them and comprised a full service that included all new filters, fresh engine oil and brake fluid, sparkplugs, radius arm bushes, handbrake pads, heater hoses, gas struts for the boot lid, fresh coolant and a radiator cap.

Oh, and we are told that the rear dampers have been changed to semi-adjustable Gaz rather than the more typical Bilstein B6 at some point. This is a common change, and one that keen drivers will appreciate as it allows for more control over the set-up of the rear damping.

A new battery was fitted in September 2023 too, and the Jaguar’s MoT certificate, which is valid until October 2024, was gained, like so many before, with no advisories, which probably won’t come as too much of a surprise by now.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the history file includes a bunch of expired MoT certificates, lots of old invoices for servicing and maintenance, and the Jaguar book pack and wallet.

With a guide price of somewhere between £14,000 and £18,000, this is your chance to get your hands on a classic XJS model that has hitherto probably escaped your notice. 

More of a driver’s car than a museum piece, it’s a very solid base with which to start your inevitable XJS obsession…

It’s an important model, too because it acts as the bridge between the old-style XJS and the much-lauded DB7, with which the XJR-S shares so much. 

And that pedigree shows; as we pointed out in the introduction, no less an authority than Andrew Frankel raved about it in-period, placing it above competitors from manufacturers such as Ferrari and Porsche.

We think it’ll sell for between £14,000 - £18,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at 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’.