Description
Hess & Eisenhardt Jaguar XJS HE
Imported to the UK in 2019. All duties and fees paid. UK registered
Blue metallic paint with Black folding roof which appears to have been replaced before I purchased.
The can was commissioned by Just XJS (XJS specialist) in Stafford and given a clean bill of health. On these H&E cars the roof line folds lower than the later Jaguar produced Convertible giving a very vice clean line.
All the original folders and special case are with the car. It is totally original and in excellent condition. I haven't used it much so it has just been in my environmentally controlled garage collection.
What is the Hess & Eisenhardt Convertible?
From 1986, a full convertible version was available through some dealers, modified by Hess & Eisenhardt in the USA. The Hess & Eisenhardt coachbuilding firm was located in Ohio, USA, and built convertible modifications for the XJ-S under contract from Jaguar, before the official Jaguar-built XJ-S full convertible became available in 1988.
The Hess & Eisenhardt convertible differed from the later Jaguar-built XJS convertible as its un-padded top folded down deeper into the body structure of the car resulting in a cleaner rear profile when the roof was lowered. To accommodate this design element, the Hess & Eisenhardt convertibles have two separate fuel tanks, positioned to allow for the roof to fully retract. The process of converting the stock Jaguar XJS coupé into the H&E Convertible included the post-production removal of the roof, cutting the body in several sections, the addition of steel reinforcements behind the driver's seat, and 9. 1 kg (20 lb) weights placed just behind the headlights to eliminate harmonic resonance caused by the significant modifications to the car. H&E XJS convertibles are easily identified by the lower folding top, as well as two small badges located just behind the front wheels. The later Jaguar full convertible had a heavier padded top that did not fold as low as the H&E convertible, but retained nearly all of the original components of the coupé.
The number of H&E Jaguar XJS produced is unknown, partly because a fire at the Hess & Eisenhardt factory destroyed most of the records pertaining to the Jaguar XJS conversions. According to some sources, a total of 2, 100 cars were converted
I welcome any questions.
Sold without guarantee or warranty
This is a rare very special XJS. It's success prompted Jaguar to design their own Convertible. Hence the short life of the H & E Convertible.
A Unique collectable marque
