• One of the last pre-facelift XJSs

 • Economical 3.6 model

 • Automatic transmission

 • Marvellous condition

Launching a new sports car in the middle of a fuel crisis is never going to be easy, but for Jaguar it was made even harder with the original XJ-S by virtue of the thumping V12 engine under its bonnet, carried over from the E-Type Series 3.

But with development money tight and no scope for installing the XK engine from the XJ6 saloon into the XJ-S body, it wouldn't be until 1983 that Jaguar had the answer.

Freed from the shackles of British Leyland into independent ownership, one of the first things that Jaguar did was to develop a new six-cylinder engine for the upcoming XJ40 saloon car. The engine was ready before the car, and with a separate engineering programme to allow the XJS (which lost its hyphen at the same time) to take a six-cylinder, it made its debut in the sports car in 1983.

The 3.6 litre unit was no slouch, as it still developed 222bhp. But it was also considerably more frugal than the V12, with cruising fuel economy close to 30mpg. 

The new engine gave the XJS a new lease of life, and having been a slow seller from the start it spent the 1980s achieving record sales for Jaguar and eventually stayed in production as late as 1996. In 1991, a substantial facelift occurred and the 3.6-litre engine was replaced with a 4.0-litre, making this example one of the very last 3.6s produced.

The XJS started its life as a demonstrator vehicle for Grange Jaguar in Brentwood, Essex, and was originally registered as H8 GRA. It has had four keepers since, though one of these is the vendor - a well-known classic car specialist. 

The second owner kept the Jaguar from September 1991 right through until 2019, though during the latter part of their ownership it covered only a handful of miles per year.

In 2019, the car was purchased by an enthusiast and had a substantial amount of work carried out to bring it up to the standard it’s in now.

There’s quite an impressive set of papers with this car including the original black Jaguar wallet containing the handbook, service book and audio guide. The service book is stamped 27 times, showing a lifetime of regular care and attention.

Also included is an invoice for over £6,500 from 2019, documenting extensive bodywork repairs, paint and a mechanical and suspension overhaul. There are later receipts for alloy wheel refurbishment, brake callipers and subframe mountings.

The car comes with a UK V5C and an MOT valid until September 2022.

Unsurprisingly given the work recently carried out on the body work, the XJS is in remarkable condition and looks lovely in its original Oyster Gold colour scheme – rare for a 1991 model.

The paint quality is excellent and the recently refurbished alloy wheels further compliment an already very handsome car.

It's a lovely thing with no blemishes of any note, whilst the vendor reports that the underside is in equally sound and solid order.

By 1991, the XJS was a bit of an anachronism and features such as its ‘rotunda’ instruments and wood-adorned cabin were considered somewhat twee when similarly priced cars included the Honda NSX and Porsche 968. 

But in many ways that was part of the Jaguar’s charm and remains so. The biscuit-coloured leather, fawn-coloured carpets and veneered dash help the XJS feel a little more special than many of its contemporaries even if it would have felt like quite an old car in the day. 

This one’s in lovely order with no noticeable wear to any of the interior fabrics. It also has the rarer half-leather seats with cloth inserts, which allow for a lower and more sporty driving position. The wood veneers are in superb order and the original Jaguar radio-cassette player works as it should.

Under the bonnet, the 3,590cc Jaguar AJ6 engine offers the perfect combination of performance and fuel economy, so ] while some may prefer the full-fat 5.3-litre V12 experience, those who want an XJS that they can use will actively seek out the 3.6, which was the most economical XJS ever made. It's a classic car that you can still use pretty much daily.

This one starts at the first flip of the key and is both smooth and responsive - the AJ6 is a terrific engine and is renowned for its longevity and reliability as well as its smoothness. 

You only have to look at the service history to see that this one has been properly looked after and it's also just been serviced by the vendor ready for its new owner.

The seller reports that the car drives absolutely spot on and that the steering, brakes and suspension are all fine.

Values of XJSs are soaring at the moment as the model becomes more and more popular as a classic car - a combination, no doubt, of its traditional appeal matched by its relatively modern driving characteristics add ability to keep up with the cut and thrust of modern traffic.

This is a truly lovely old car that comes with the reassurance of having had some substantial work carried out in recent times, meaning it's ready to use or show without any hidden expenditure around the corner. If you want an efficient XJS with a great history behind it, you’ll have to look long and hard to find better.