Highlights

Lovely derivative of the X308 in great order
Desirable Sovereign specification with electric ‘chauffeur seat’
Originally a Ford Motor Company Executive car
Gorgeous, unrestored example in sought-after Sapphire Blue

The Appeal

If you’re looking for a modern(ish) classic that’s powerful, classically styled and timelessly elegant, yet also perfectly suited to today’s traffic conditions and is sumptuously comfortable, the last of the steel-bodied Jaguar saloons is the perfect choice.

Rapidly gaining classic appeal – and for good reason – the V8-powered X308 is a very easy car to fall in love with, especially when it has the flagship 4.0-litre engine and is in fabulously appointed Sovereign specification, like this example is.

Eminently usable, surprisingly affordable to run and with unrivalled levels of comfort, coupled to great driving dynamics, X308s now represent a fantastic era of Jaguar engineering that is absolutely core to the brand’s DNA.

A good one is a really nice car – retro-styled with an iconic badge and instantly recognisable, perpetually classy and achingly beautiful, the big Jaguar is an absolute delight to both look at and drive, yet it also has enough modernity about it to still be perfectly capable of daily use. They’re not as expensive to run as you may think, either, with straightforward maintenance and great parts supply (new and used), with loads of specialists.

The X308 replaced the six-cylinder X300 in 1997, outwardly similar but with an all-new V8 engine line-up: 3.2-litre and 4.0-litre powerplants that echoed the engine sizes of the previous models. Along with the new engine, there were a few visual tweaks – a new dashboard, better wood, clearer dials, more refinement and rounder bumpers.

But beneath the exterior, which didn’t have an awful lot wrong with it anyway, the X308 was a thoroughly different beast, with heavily revised suspension, giving it delightful agility alongside the best ride comfort this side of a Rolls-Royce.

This one is a genuinely lovely car, supplied new to Ford Motor Company (which owned Jaguar at the time) as a VIP model on the Executive Car scheme, which explains both its Essex registration and, perhaps, the rare and unusual option of a chauffeur seat – a special passenger seat whereby a button on the seat back propels it forwards for easier access and egress.

It’s a super-plush Sovereign (of course) with rare Ivory leather in lieu of the usual Oatmeal, plus rich Dark Maple veneers.

Completely original and unrestored, since 2012 it has had a three-letter/three-number cherished registration, which the owner has retained, returning it to its original 1999 Essex number.

Now, 27 years since the X308 debuted, the model is at an age where the bad ones are rapidly disappearing and the good ones are shooting up in value. This 25-year-old one is a lovely example – an original, well presented and entirely honest car that isn’t 100% perfect, but is in remarkably lovely order for an original XJ that hasn’t been restored or repainted.

It’s a great choice of charming, luxurious and usable feel-good classic – and future values are only going one way…

The History and Paperwork

UK V5C
MOT valid until April 2025
Original Jaguar leather wallet, book pack and service book
Service book stamped to 66,537 miles
Supplied new in 1999 to Ford Motor Company Executive Cars and maintained for the first year of its life (in which the car covered almost a third of its total mileage) by the Jaguar main dealership in Brentwood, Essex, very close to Ford’s UK HQ.
Some old MOT certificates and owners club documents
Recent cherished registration change – previously HOR 176, as shown on MOT cerificates
Mileage in photographs will increase slightly as the Jaguar will remain in occasional use until the auction ends.

The Condition

Gorgeous and sought-after Sapphire Blue metallic paint
Very smart overall order with a good paint finish and no signs of previous accident damage
16-inch alloy wheels in great condition
Lovely deep shine and good chrome trim
Superb structural order with no visible corrosion other than a tiny blister on nearside rear wing and a small bubble inside the boot shut (both in photos)
Some minor paint blemishes (see photos) including minor chips, scratches and some touched-in stonechips, but nothing that really detracts from the appearance of a very original, smart and handsome car
Minor touch-up repairs on rear door and driver’s door edge caused by ‘garage rash’
Appears good underneath
Small scuff on rear bumper
Two small chips in windscreen, but not an MOT fail
Inner wings in superb order with no bubbling under the paint
Rare Ivory leather in generally good order throughout, some gentle patina to driver’s seat
Dark Maple veneer dash and door-trims with no notable cracks or damage
Ultra-rare ‘chauffeur seat’, with buttons that move the passenger seat forward from behind
Electrically adjustable driver’s and passenger’s seats
Climate control (may require regas)
Cruise control
Factory radio-cassette with electric aerial
Steering wheel audio controls
Electro-chromatic self-dipping rear-view mirror
Boot mounted six-CD changer
Excellent carpets and door cards
Original Jaguar factory floor mats
Good armrest and centre cubby
Excellent veneer “ski slope” with only minor marks
Headlining has dropped in places – a common XJ fault
Centre steering wheel pad has some fading
Original spare wheel and jack

The Mechanics

4.0-litre V8
Five-speed auto transmission
Starts on the button
Runs very well, with smooth cruising ability and excellent ride and handling
No warning lights on dash
No untoward suspension noises or unwelcome sounds from the steering or transmission
Vendor reports an occasional ‘low coolant’ warning, but the coolant level hasn’t dropped in his ownership – a commonly reported anomaly in XJ forums usually related to the float in the expansion tank
Runs sweetly, beautiful, quiet idle and responds well in all gears, holding a steady temperature
The owner – an XJ aficionado – has used the car for several long motorway journeys over the summer and describes it as a real joy to drive, for sale only because he has got an even nicer example

BEFORE YOU BUY

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