Description
This is an excellent example of an XJ40. It's the 3rd I've owned and so I consider I know these cars well. I'm only selling because a friend has decided to sell his superb Daimler Super V8 and it's too good an example to pass up. My car was already in for a service when my friend gave me the news so the car will come fully serviced by the same Jaguar specialist who has serviced it for the last 36, 000 miles.
I'm the 3rd owner and have owned it for 4. 5 years during which time I've put 36, 000 miles on the clock. The first owner was Sir Austin Pearce who was a Jaguar main board director, the Chairman of British Aerospace and the Chairman of Esso. Being part of Jaguar's Executive Fleet, the car never went via a dealer. Sir Austin retained the car after he retired, owning it until he died in 2004. The 2nd owner was an engineer who maintained the car himself, owning it for 16 years and covering only 9, 000 miles.
In the time I've owned the car I've almost doubled the mileage, using it for long trips around the UK and overseas tours including the Netherlands, Spain, France twice and Belgium. It's a superb long-distance cruiser and returns 27mpg on the motorway - even with the air-con on.
The MOT runs to 22nd October and has no advisories listed.
Service history: Sir Austin used a Jaguar main dealer then a local garage, the 2nd owner carried out his own maintenance and I've used S&P who are Jaguar specialists in Devon. During my time I've had the front and rear suspension rebuilt to restore the classic Jaguar ride/ handling feel and replaced the major air-conditioning components. I've serviced it every 12 months or 10, 000 miles depending on which has arrived sooner. There's a thick history file containing invoices, MOTs and tax discs.
This is a very late model XJ40 having been built on the new production line, installed in August ‘93, for the subsequent X300 model. There are a few subtle signs of this including the flush-fit indicators on the front wings. As a result the build quality is superb even by the already high standard of later XJ40s.
The car is in excellent condition with just some minor car park scratches and wear on the driver's seat bolster. A small section of the headliner has recently sagged but it's so minor at the moment I've left it for now. Everything works in the car except the electric mirrors which have limited movement and the electric driver's headrest which no longer lowers. The passenger one is fine.
Music streaming: I had an Alpine bluetooth system fitted to allow streaming of music such as Spotify.
I have a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Certificate for the car, it's listed on the XJ40 Register and at the request of the Jaguar Enthusiast Club, the car had a two-page feature in the club's magazine. I have kept a copy which I'm happy to pass on. The car has also been in Classic Car Weekly.
I've based the price on Car & Classic's new valuation service - putting it at the lowest end of pricing for XJ40s in excellent condition.
My first XJ40 was a '92 3. 2 Sovereign, my 2nd a '93 Daimler Double-Six with the 6. 0 V12. This time I went for a 4. 0 as the 3. 2 can feel a little short of torque, whilst the V12 is more complex and struggles to reach even 18mpg at a cruise. I did considerable miles in both and the reliability was so good (both being facelift cars) I was confident enough to go back for a 3rd.
The 2nd photo was taken outside the hotel in Brussels and the final one was taken in the Basque region of Spain last October. Two weeks ago the car completed a tour of France including Nancy, Reims, Lille and Dunkirk.
The car can be viewed in Devon or Hertfordshire
