Highlights

• Hearty 4-litre V8
• Automatic transmission
• Good history or servicing and maintenance
• Attractive specification
• Excellent project potential

The Appeal

The History and Paperwork

• First registered in June 1997
• Six owners from new
• Current owner since December 2011
• 112,772 miles, verified by service and MOT records
• The vendor tells us they have always kept the car garaged
• Service stamps up to 2016 at 105,658 miles
• Serviced in recent years by the owner and a local garage
• A number of invoices and previous MOT certificates included
• Complete with the owner’s handbooks, two keys and the correct V5c

The Interior

• Beige leather upholstery, in reasonable condition overall, with some wear and creasing to the front seats, especially the driver’s side
• Light grey carpets and floor mats appear to be undamaged
• The headlining all looks to be very good, with no sagging or damage apparent
• Wood veneer trim adorns the doors and dash, and looks to be in good order
• Electric windows and door mirrors
• Electrically operated seats, with driver’s side memory function
• The seat heaters are not working properly – believe to be related to the incorrect ‘Battery not charging’ warning
• Some of the plastic trim pieces around the cabin are broken or need re-affixing
• The air-conditioning is not working correctly, as the system is not holding gas at the moment
• The remote central locking is not currently working
• We’re told all the buttons, gauges and controls work, but some of the lights are a touch faint
• Harman/Kardon high-end sound system, with radio/cassette and CD changer
• Generous rear boot space, trimmed in grey carpet, containing a spacesaver spare wheel, toolkit and jack
• Under the boot carpet, the wheel well and floor look to be in very nice condition

The Exterior

• Dark blue metallic paintwork is in average condition, with some fading, scuffs, marks and a couple of minor dings
• The bodywork appears to be in reasonable order, with the panels looking straight and neat
• We did note corrosion and bubbling to the underside of the bonnet edge, sills, wheel arches and window surrounds
• Underneath, the floors appear to be nice and solid, but some of the drivetrain components are quite heavily corroded
• The latest MOT advised “Vehicle structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced Nearside Rear (near subframe mount)”
• It rides on the correct “fluted” 18-inch, seven-spoke alloy wheels, which were refurbished a few years ago and present well
• The wheels are shod in a matched set of Pirelli P Zero tyres
• The vendor reports  that the electric aerial no longer extends

The Mechanics

• 3,996cc naturally aspirated V8 engine
• Rear-wheel drive
• Five-speed ZF automatic transmission
• Factory power figures of 290hp and 290lb ft, with resulting performance of 0-62 in 6.5 seconds and a 155mph top speed
• Independent wishbone suspension all round
• Adamesh exhaust rear section, offering a sporty tone
• There is a “Battery not charging” fault showing, but this has been active for five years and appears to be an incorrect warning
• We’re informed that the air-conditioning system is not currently holding gas
• The vendor tells us the the oil and filter have recently been changed, and the the front brake discs and pads were renewed last year
• During their ownership, the vendor has had a refurbished steering rack and oil cooler fitted
• We’re assured that the car is in good mechanical order, starting, running and driving very well

Summary