Highlights

Original and tidy X308 XJ in great running order
Unusual colour and specification
Doesn’t appear to have ever been welded
Lovely, original condition

The Appeal

The Jaguar ‘X308’ XJ8 is a car that’s rapidly gaining classic appeal – the last traditionally styled, steel-bodied big Jaguar saloon and, by nature of evolution, the best of the breed.

Eminently usable, surprisingly affordable to run and with unrivalled levels of comfort, coupled to great driving dynamics, they represent a fantastic era of Jaguar engineering that is absolutely core to the brand’s DNA. A good one is a really nice car.

As such, the ‘X308’ is the perfect modern classic. Retro-styled with an iconic badge and instantly recognised, 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 a huge used parts supply.

The X308 debuted in 1997, with an all-new V8 engine line-up: 3.2-litre and 4.0-litre powerplants that echoed the engine sizes of the previous six-cylinder models. Along with the new engine, there were a few visual tweaks – a new dashboard, better wood, clearer dials 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 an interesting car – on paper it’s a base model, but like so many XJs it has so many options on it that it would have cost thousands more than the list price to bring it up to spec. For a lot of owners, this was a cunning way of getting around company car tax based on list price and this one is beautifully specified – it has full leather, 20-spoke alloy wheels, climate control and is finished in Titanium Mica, which was a rare extra-cost colour option that really suits the XJ’s lines.

It's a fantastic example – used sparingly early in its life and most recently enjoyed by a school headmaster, who covered almost 30,000 miles in it since 2018. It’s one of the quietest and smoothest V8 Jaguars we’ve ever heard running and it doesn’t appear to have ever seen the attention of a welder.

X308s are at an age now where the bad ones are rapidly disappearing and the good ones are shooting up in value. This one is a good one – an original, well-presented and entirely honest car that isn’t perfect, but has no major or alarming faults. It’s a great choice of charming, usable, feel-good modern classic – and future values are only going one way…

The History and Paperwork

UK V5C
MOT valid until October 2024
Original Jaguar leather wallet, book pack and service book
Cherished XJI registration included – first registered in 1998
Hand-written updates in service book
Old MOT certificates dating back to 2018
Odometer shows 76k miles but was subject to a replacement used instrument pack in 2016 – total mileage is around 108k
Excellent MOT history – has never failed an MOT test since digital records began in 2005
Three previous owners
Mileage in photographs will increase slightly as the Jaguar will remain in occasional use until the auction ends.

The Condition

Titanium Mica metallic paint
Very smart overall order
16-inch 20-spoke alloy wheels as fitted standard to Daimler models
Four matching recent Bridgestone Turanza tyres with loads of remaining tread
Very good paint finish all-round with deep shine
Superb structural order with no signs of any previous welding and only two very small areas of surface rust inside one wheel arch and on very bottom edge of driver’s side front wing, neither visible from eye level
Some minor paint blemishes (see photos) including minor scratches to offside rear door and a very shallow dent in nearside rear door (barely noticeable), some lacquer delamination on door mirrors and some touched-in stonechips, but nothing that really detracts from the appearance of a very original, smart and handsome car
Excellent underside, with original factory underseal
Inner wings in superb order with no bubbling under the paint
Oatmeal leather in generally good order throughout
Highly desirable factory option part-wood steering wheel with some wear to leather edge
Some very minor wear to driver’s seat bolster (see images)
Walnut veneer dash and door-trims with no cracks or damage
Electrically adjustable driver’s and passenger’s seats
Factory radio-cassette (requires code)
Boot mounted six-CD changer
Excellent carpets and door cards
Good armrest and centre cubby
Excellent wooden veneer “ski slope” with only minor marks
Headlining has dropped in places and has been discreetly pinned up – a common XJ fault
Original spare wheel and jack

The Mechanics

3.2-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
The vendor reports a slight amount of suspension noise, only apparent on broken road surfaces, but it does not affect the ride or handling

BEFORE YOU BUY

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✓ This vehicle is “Sold As Seen”, on an “As Is, Where Is’ basis and without warranty. A full inspection of the vehicle prior to purchase and bidding is highly recommended. Photos and descriptions are for guidance purposes only.

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