The XJ40 era of Jaguar has become a much loved and appreciated modern classic, its sleek lines, plush interior and involving drive making them a desirable saloon. In dark metallic red, the right alloy wheels and a beautiful tan leather cabin this Sovereign ticks all the right boxes.

This example was much loved by its last owner but had remained hidden in a garage for several years before  being decommissioned and returned to the road very recently.

The Jaguar was bought new in February 1989 and registered to Prestige Hoods Ltd in Liverpool, sold by Henleys in Chester, we assume it was the company car of a lucky director at that firm. When the car was three years old the next owner bought the car, picking up the keys on the 1st of April 1992, and he must have liked it as he kept it until he gave up driving a few years ago when it was garaged.

His sons tells us he kept the XJ40 well maintained and remembers annual trips to a local garage for servicing and to attend to any other issues. The MOT history shows it was only driving a couple of hundred miles a year until 2012 when it was laid up, but unfortunately the records of that are currently missing and been looked for, and will hopefully be found before the car sells.

It has just been bought by a dealer who has done some recommissioning work including a new brake master cylinder and having the sill ends repaired and passed a fresh MOT on August 19th.

With just 55,000 miles traveled and many years tucked away in a garage and out of the suns damaging UV rays, the cabin is in excellent condition. The tan leather seats have very little sign of wear, just some patina to the surface, mostly on the drivers seat and the dashboard has very nice wood across the full width, with an inlaid pinstripe around the passenger side. This continues to the centre console, although there is a crack at the very bottom below the J-gate gear shift. It has a nice black leather steering wheel, the rim is very nice however there is a scratch on the centre pad.

There are plenty of toys in the cabin, electric seats, the trip computer panel, electric sunroof and even rear window sunblinds.
The door cars, again a mix of leather and wood with an inlaid pinstripe pattern, are in great condition and the carpets are very nice too, with very little wear and few marks.

A common fault in XJ Jaguars is a sagging headlining, which this has started to suffer.

 

The dark metallic red suits the flowing lines of the XJ40 perfectly. The body panels are in excellent condition with very few marks or dings. Aside from the usual stone chips there is a small dent on the roof (easy for a PDR man to pop out while the headlining is being done!), there is a 1cm chip on the bonnet behind the leaper and the near side rear door has a rust blister on the inside edge.

Having been protected from the sun by the owners garage the paint finish is very good, with a smooth finish all round. The chrome bumpers do have some pitting in the metal surface and a new Jaguar boot badge and a fresh reflector for the left side of the bumper have been ordered, and a previous owner fitted a Jaguar Leaper to the bonnet.

We are told the last owner, although not driving the car far, took it for servicing every year to the same trusted local garage, the paperwork is being looked for and hopefully will be supplied with the car.

The seller has done a couple of jobs to it, fitting a new brake master cylinder and having the brakes bled and the sill ends on both sides have been professionally welded, another common requirement on this model, and the chassis was undersealed after that work was completed.

The seller tells us the car drives very well with a smooth straight six motor and clean shifting auto box.

This is a great looking car with lots of luxuries inside its well appointed cabin. The bodywork is good, and the paint looks very appealing. With its low miles it is a car waiting to be used an enjoyed.

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