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 AJ16 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 3.2-litre V8 was new. The units were built for 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. 

But they weren’t without their problems. The nickel-based ‘Nikasil’ cylinder liners in pre-2000 cars would become porous, leading to catastrophic engine failures and multiple warranty claims. Jaguar addressed this by 2000 with steel-liner engines, and these are the ones to go for if you value reliability. 

Luckily, that’s what we have here. One of the very last X308s made, registered in August 2002 – just a month before the new alloy XJ models appeared. It has the added bonus of complying with London’s ULEZ low emissions zone regulations, as the very last engines were complaint with Euro 4 standards. 

It's fairly common for car manufacturers to throw absolutely everything at the last examples of soon-to-be replaced models as a means of giving them extra showroom appeal, and Jaguar was no exception.

Introduced in March 2002, the XJ8 Executive SE was based on the entry level 3.2 Executive model, but with all of the luxury trimmings associated with the upmarket Sovereign specification. Features such as satellite navigation, heated seats, Connolly hide, memory functions for the seats and mirrors, an in-car telephone and a premium audio system were all improvements over the standard Executive. 

This example was first registered in August 2002. It has had three owners in total, all of whom have maintained it to a high standard and with no expense spared, the most recent for almost a decade with most of the car and maintenance carried out by the same specialist. 

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 are also a stack of bills backing up its history and documenting over £4,000 of expenditure in the past three years, proving the car has been properly maintained. It was most recently serviced in August 2021 at 96,499 miles by Farriers – an independent Jaguar and Land Rover specialist and former main dealer in Leicestershire, close to where the car has lived since 2011. 

Finished in distinctive Seafoam Blue, 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. 

For a Jaguar fast approaching its 20th birthday, the XJ is in generally excellent order and looks fantastic – one of the smartest X308s we’ve seen. 

An aftermarket Jaguar ‘Leaper’ has been fitted to the bonnet – not standard for an X308, but it will undoubtedly appeal to a large number of Jaguar fans. 

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. 

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 its woeful luggage capacity. The instrumentation improved, too, with LCD displays and greater functionality within the trip computer.

That means it’s an easier car to live with on a day-to-day basis, and in Executive SE trim it’s loaded with all the goodies – the biscuit coloured leather is in excellent order, as are the mats and carpets, while the door cards and wood infills are also in extremely smart condition. 

Ignore any of the horror stories you might hear about the Jaguar V8 engine as they only relate to the pre-2000 models which have the Nikasil linings. Later cars, such as this one, are extremely robust and are known to cover substantial mileages without any major problems.

This one has just over 97,000 miles on the clock and starts and runs smoothly. The vendor has been using it frequently in recent weeks and reports that it drives spot-on, with no faults he is aware of. 

The X308 is a rapidly up-and-coming classic and values of good ones are really starting to rise, making this low mileage example a really appealing prospect before you drill down into its finer points. 

Look closer and the appeal gets greater. Being a very late example, it’s one of the few X308s that’s Euro 4 compliant. That means it’s ULEZ-friendly, as well as suitable for use in cities outside London that have similar emissions zones proposed. 

It’s also a really rare and unusual specification, sold only for a few months towards the end of XJ8 production. It’s a car with a huge amount going for it, and is also a truly lovely example.