• Amazingly preserved in unrestored condition

• All original fittings, a real time-warp car

• Low mileage and obviously lovingly looked after

• Beautiful vivid colours, the perfect car for summer

With a 20-year production run from 1975 to 1995, the XJ-S was a great success for Jaguar, even if it was met with mixed reactions when it first appeared. The angular styling, some said, failed to live up to the standard set by its predecessor, the E-type, but since that is repeatedly said to be the most beautiful car ever made, we’ll let the XJ-S off the hook. Either way, it was good enough for Simon Templar, so it’s certainly good enough for us.

It’s a pity the styling was divisive, because the mechanicals underpinning it were not to be sniffed at. For the first few years, every XJ-S left Browns Lane with the 5.3-litre V12, introduced in 1971, which was passed on from the Series III E-type. Whereas E-types had often been manuals, though, XJ-Ss were predominantly automatics, marking a shift in character from sports-car to luxury grand tourer. From 1981, the HE (High Efficiency) version of the V12 was rolled out for greatly improved fuel economy.

The HE differed from the earlier engine by making use of high-swirl cylinder heads specially designed by Swiss racing driver Michael May. The design gave the engine an unusually high compression ratio (between 10.5 to one and 12.5 to one depending on the model), while allowing it to run on a relatively lean fuel mixture. The new design did not make a great difference to power output, but it saw fuel economy increased by nearly 50 per cent. Other new features were the Digital P fuel-injection system featuring a digital ECU, and the XJ-S’s ignition system was upgraded in mid-1989 with a new system by Magneti Marelli.

With its clean styling, spacious, comfortable interior and a quiet, powerful engine well suited to covering long distances, the XJ-S HE was the perfect car for summer touring. What’s surprising is that Jaguar didn’t cotton on to that fact, especially quickly. It wasn’t until 1983 that Jaguar introduced the XJ-SC, a fixed-profile targa convertible, and we had to wait until 1988 to get a conventional full convertible. When it did arrive, though, it sold very well and lived up to everyone’s expectations of a British grand tourer, but the youngest ones are now 25 years old and they seem to have almost disappeared completely overnight. If anything, they seem to be getting more desirable, though, as the number of admiring comments this car gets from the public testifies.

This XJ-S was first registered in October, 1989, and sold new through Thornes Jaguar of Wakefield to a Mr. R. Sowerby of Milfield, West Yorkshire. A comprehensive service history up to 2000 shows that the XJ-S returned to Thornes for its annual service until 1994, after which it was serviced by various Jaguar dealerships in Hull and York from 1995 to 2000, by an independent Jaguar specialist in Bagshot in 2005, and an independent garage in Norwich in 2014.

Although the Jaguar is now on its eighth registered keeper, it really has the look of a ‘one careful owner’ car. Recent MoTs show just how little it has been used in recent years – it has spent the last few years in storage and has covered fewer than 900 miles since April, 2017. The vendor bought the car nine months ago after assessing its condition and realising he’d never find a better one, but is now offering it for sale as he has to downsize his classic-car collection.

This car boasts a highly impressive paperwork file, including a V5, a collection of invoices dating back to 1994 and a near-complete collection of MoT certificates back to 1995. The car’s current MoT expires on 24th August, but since it passed its last test with no advisories we do not think its upcoming test should worry it too much.

What stands out most of all in this car’s history file is that it includes all of its original literature as issued by the Jaguar factory when new. Neatly contained within a handsome leather folder, it includes the Owner’s Handbook, the Stereo Radio Cassette Handbook, the XJS Handbook, its Service Record and Warranty, the Pre-Delivery Inspection booklet and European Emergency Assistance booklet. 

It even features an RAC Temporary Membership Card, as issued by the RAC in partnership with Jaguar and Daimler, but perhaps more interesting still is the Stereo Radio Cassette Owner’s Guide, which takes the form of a tape cassette, so the instructions can be played through the original radio. With so many original radios having been replaced by more modern units, this is an extremely scarce accessory today.

What could be nicer than being surrounded by cream leather, walnut and claret carpet? Not much that we can think of, and not only has this XJ-S’s all-original interior been tastefully specified, it has also been cared for extremely well. The leather seems to have barely aged, with only the lightest creases, and everything else looks like new. We could not see any marks on the carpet or in the walnut, and the steering wheel, gearstick, handbrake, switches and dials are all in superb order.

Although the XJ-S is long enough to just about be a four-seater, it is only a two-seater. Jaguar obviously knew the typical XJ-S driver would be the sort of person to enjoy contemplative solo drives, or the company of a special companion, without bothersome children wanting to tag along and disrupt the feeling of serenity. Instead, behind the front seats, there is just a nicely carpeted luggage space, with a lockable lid, and this, like the boot, appears to have hardly ever been used.

This is usually the point where we mention that the original radio has been replaced by a more modern unit, but not here. This car is complete with its original Jaguar radio cassette player, which we think is a terrific asset for anyone who appreciates originality. It is such a rarity these days that the committed Jaguar enthusiast ought to prize it above cars which have been altered, and we would strongly recommend retaining the radio in situ, for it is sure to increase the car’s value as original examples become more scarce.

As we say, to look at this car from the outside, you’d think it has only ever had one careful owner. Again, it’s totally original and has survived in the most exceptional condition over the past 32 years. The Signal Red paint has survived really well, and we think that, with a polish, it would be as vibrant as the day it left the factory. On assessing the whole car, we have to say that everything – paint, chrome, hood, wheels, lights and ancillaries – is either excellent or near-perfect. The tyres are probably the only thing that’s been replaced; it now sports a fresh set of Continentals.

The XJ-S starts on the button, ticks over nice and quietly and then moves around with grace and ease, courtesy of the four-speed ZF 4HP22 automatic gearbox. There is no evidence of any major mechanical work having been completed on the car, but since it’s only cover 51,000 miles and led what has evidently been a very pampered life, we doubt any work has ever been necessary and do not suppose that it will be for some time to come. Having been faithfully serviced, and with an MoT showing no advisories, we’re sure this is a car that wants for nothing and is all ready to be enjoyed.

As red as any English rose and with an interior the colour of a fine Bordeaux, there could hardly be a nicer car for touring the countryside of Britain and Europe in the summer. What’s more, with the 5.3-litre V12 and automatic gearbox, it’s more than up to the job of covering some serious mileage. We’d not want to overuse it, though. It’s endured so well that we’d want to keep on pampering it, but we’d plan for a couple of big trips every year when we could enjoy the feeling of the wind in our hair and long stretches of tarmac beneath the tyres.

There are plenty of good XJ-Ss which would be well-suited to summer touring but this one, we might say, would be the connoisseur’s choice. For its combination of condition and originality, it is quite unmatched, and we do not think there will be another opportunity to buy one this good for a long time to come. This car has not grown tired with age, at all. It has matured and mellowed, and we think that makes it just a little bit nicer than it would have been when new.