・Genuine super-low mileage XJS Convertible in superb condition

・Kept in a heated garage all its life, full history

・Recent brakes, tyres, fuel tank and powder-coated sub frames

・Registration number by separate negotiation

The XJS Convertible was late to the party for Jaguar, making its debut in 1988. That was a long time after the Coupé model made its debut, but was nevertheless a welcome development for the brand’s loyal customers, who had been craving a full drop-top XJS for several years.

Jaguar had got halfway there in 1983 with the XJ-SC, which was more of a Targa with an ungainly rollover hoop, but the full convertible model was a job done properly, with a power-operated hood and clean, pillarless styling. 

The car made its debut in the summer of 1988, by which point the XJS was already 13 years old – the launch of a whole new body style being unprecedented for a car of this age. Nevertheless, it was the model that Jaguar sports car enthusiasts had been waiting for a long time and as such it gave the XJS a whole new lease of life. Combined with the new 3.6-litre six-cylinder engine (a genuinely more efficient alternative to the V12) in 1989, the model recorded its best-ever sales year. 

This example is from that bumper year – originally registered on August 1, 1989, as a brand new ‘G’ registration. It’s the full package, too – a 5.3-litre V12 rather than the ‘budget’ 3.6 six. 

But what really sets this car apart from the rest is its remarkable mileage and history. It has covered just 14,392 miles from new and was laid up in a heated garage for 16 years before being recommissioned by the current owner. It’s an incredible car, the likes of which won’t be seen again.

The XJS was supplied new by Merritts Jaguar of Amersham and it has spent its entire life in the same area. 

The original owner, a Mr Lewis of Rickmansworth, used the Jaguar for two years and put just under 8,000 miles on the clock before it was traded in against a new Jaguar at Merritts and sold to a Mrs Giles in High Wycombe in August 1991. It was at this point that it was registered ‘BET 250’, her personalised number plate that has stayed with the car since and is available by separate negotiation with the vendor. 

Mrs Giles used the Jaguar sparingly between 1991 and 2001, when she gave up driving. The last recorded service in the book – stamped annually all the way through by Merritts Jaguar – was in June 2001, at which point the XJS had covered just 13,620 miles. It has done less than 800 miles since…

The car was MOT tested by Mrs Giles’s daughter in 2009 with 13,635 miles on the clock, but was never used until it was acquired by the current owner, a friend of the family, in 2017. He has recommissioned the car properly and at some expense ever since.

The XJS comes with its original green leather document wallet, which contains the handbook, service book, stereo manual, dealer directory and a warranty document from when Mrs Giles acquired the car in 1991. 

There are also a few old bills and a pre-delivery inspection document from Merritts Jaguar. 

Documenting its more recent history are papers relating to a complete brake overhaul in 2019, a new fuel tank and sender and a recent service, including a transmission flush and new spark plugs (all 12 of them…).

There is a V5C in the name of the vendor.

It’s hardly surprising given the history, but this car looks wonderful in its original Arctic Blue paint, which is in terrific condition. 

There are a couple of tiny scuffs on the bonnet and top of the driver’s side front wing which have been carefully touched in, but otherwise the factory paint is all still original and blemish-free, with no dings or dents down the flanks. It’s truly incredible. 

If we were being picky, then the chrome on the front bumper is a little dull on one corner and the rear bumper is also a little ‘flat’, but not in such a way that it detracts at all from the car’s overall appearance. 

The blue hood is in exceptional condition, as are the gorgeous lattice-style alloys, while decent Pirelli tyres all-round area  further bonus. 

Underneath, it’s all solid and free of rust – the vendor took the precaution of having both subframes stripped, shot blasted and powder-coated to ensure their long-term longevity, while at the same time having a brand new fuel tank fitted. The car has been fully undersealed since.

As you’d expect for such a low mileage car, the interior of the XJS is completely unspoilt – the blue leather is superb, as are the walnut veneers, carpets and door cards. 

There are two features that especially delight. One is the original Jaguar-branded radio-cassette which looks almost new, the other is the original LCD trip computer, which works absolutely perfectly. 

The cabin is absolutely remarkable and as close to a ‘new’ XJS are you’re likely to find, the only real fault being some minor damage to the inner roof lining on the nearside rear quarter, which is only visible with the roof up.

Open the bonnet and you’re confronted by a terrifying mass of pipework – but that’s just the Jaguar HE V12 for you! The 5.3-litre unit is a thing of absolutely beauty to behold, at least until you have to get the spanners out. 

Luckily, this one shouldn’t need much spannering attention. It’s in fine fettle, as you’d expect from the fact it’s barely run-in. The vendor has, however, given it a full service and has ensured it has seen regular maintenance since he recommissioned the Jaguar in 2017. 

It sounds wonderful – beautifully smooth and refined. If you want a car with a real sense of occasion about it, then a V12 XJS is definitely the way to go. 

In addition, the car had recently had a complete brake overhaul with new discs and pads all round.

Make no mistake: this is a very special car indeed and should not be judged as ‘just another XJS’ as it is far, far from that. 

This is an incredible low mileage example with full pedigree. Its history is known from new, it has been loved and cherished and is wholly unspoilt and original – a true collectors’ piece. 

The XJS is also on the up, as the days of cheap and shabby ones have disappeared leaving good cars in high demand. They really don’t come much better than this one. 

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