In late 1997, the Jaguar ‘X300’ XJ6 morphed into the car that many people within Jaguar believed it should have been at launch. The V8-engined ‘X308’ was more than just a facelift, although as nip and tucks go the visual differences weren’t huge – at least not from the outside.

External differences were subtle. Jaguar effectively rounded off the last of the XJ40’s squares, with new oval indicator lamps, a more curvaceous radiator grille, circular fog lamps and softer-edged bumpers front and rear, with less exposed chrome, partly to suit the fashions of the time, and partly to reduce unsightly damage.

But beneath the exterior, which didn’t have an awful lot wrong with it anyway, the X308 was a thoroughly different beast. The most significant changes were under the bonnet, for while the engine displacements remained the same at 3.2 and 4.0-litres, the straight six was replaced with the AJ26 V8  engine, first seen in the XK8 the previous year. The 4.0-litre unit was a straight carryover from the sports car, whereas the shorter stroke 3.2-litre V8 was new. The units were designed and built by Jaguar at Ford’s engine plant in Bridgend and were trucked into Coventry for final assembly.

The new quad cam engines featured all-alloy construction, variable valve timing, a split block cooling system and electronic throttle control, and, significantly, were connected to a new five speed automatic gearbox. 

As with the outgoing X300 models, the specifications offered were base, Executive and Sovereign, the latter being the high specification possible before graduating to one of the truly sumptuous Daimler models.

This example is a long wheelbase version, first registered to the Ford Motor Company, which owned Jaguar at the time it was made. It's highly likely that it spent the first part of its life chauffeuring some very important executive bottoms around before passing into private ownership.

After a year of corporate ownership, S397XEV was purchased privately the Grange Jaguar dealership in Exeter, Devon. The car then remained in private ownership with the same keeper until early 2021, spending a substantial amount of time in Devon before the owner then moved to the City of York.

As a result, the car's maintenance was split between the Jaguar main dealership in the South West and a very well-known Jaguar specialist in North Yorkshire, with a somewhat fastidious approach to its routine maintenance. something which is reflected in the cars remarkable overall condition. 

The Jaguar is supplied with its original black leather service wallet, inside which are an owners’ manual, car phone guide, alarm system handbook, audio manual and service book.

The car has a current MOT valid until January 2023, which it passed with no advisories. 

There is a substantial pile of bills backing up its history and backing-up its genuine low mileage of sub 65,500. 

This car has been incredibly well looked after, with the vendor describing the regularity of its servicing as ‘metronomic’. The service book is stamped at the following mileages:

Beyond that, no expense has been spared. It has recently been given a new air con condenser , a strip down and underseal of the floor and chassis, new suspension wishbones and bushes, a gearbox harness and – critically – there’s evidence of the timing chains and tensioners, along with new drive belts being changed at 52,870 at a cost of over £2,000. Those who know the X308s will also know that the timing chain tensioners are the Achilles heel of the otherwise tough V8 unit, making this example attractive.

A pile of historic MOT certificates and an old-style V5 registration document complete the box file of paperwork.

Finished in striking Topaz, the XJ is in excellent condition bodily, and has no rust to be seen in any of the usual places where XJs tend to corrode, such as the sills, wing bottoms and rear wheel arches. 

A few minor corrosion advisories on a past MOT were addressed by cleaning the underside, a thorough inspection to determine it was no more than surface rust, and a complete wax and underseal treatment to protect it for the next owner.  

It's a great looking car in exceptional visual order – easily as good as it looks in the photos, if not better. 

Inside, the X308 is quite a different car to the visually similar X300. The X300’s angular slab of a dashboard went, to be replaced by a more curvaceous fascia, while the wood facings were rounded off, with lighter materials and a less traditional feel. The instrumentation improved, too, with LCD displays and greater functionality within the trip computer.

Critically, cabin storage improved, with bigger door bins and larger console cubbies, though the XJ still remained way behind other executive cars in terms of its packaging, especially with its luggage capacity and rear legroom. And that's where the long wheelbase model came in. by adding 150 millimetres to the sills, roof and rear doors, Jaguar was able to make the rear of the car far more comfortable and better suited to being used as chauffeur transport.

In range-topping Sovereign trim it’s loaded with all the goodies – the Ivory leather is in excellent order, as are the mats and carpets, while the door cards and wood infills are also in extremely smart condition. Both front and rear seats are electrically adjustable and the recently refurbished air conditioning system blows icy cold. It's a wonderful and extremely comfortable car in which to spend time.

Potential buyers should take note of the fact that this car has had the most important repair demanded of any XJ8, with the timing chain and its tensioner replaced less than 12,000 miles ago, the latter being a particularly well known weak point on the earlier Jaguar V8 engines and the replacement part fitted being of much better quality.

We were able to drive the car a few miles for the photographs and can confirm that it's an absolute delight. Smooth, powerful and responsive with seamless gear changes and finger-light steering, along with an incomparable ride quality that can only be that of a Jaguar. It’s a lovely thing with no evident problems.  

The X308 is a rapidly up-and-coming classic and values of good ones are really starting to rise, making this stunning, beautifully-specced and low mileage example a really appealing prospect. 

It has an impeccable, near-flawless service history, is an absolute joy to drive and is in truly beautiful order both inside and out. They don't come along like this very often.