・Genuine factory XJR-S, one of 115 built

・Fully body restoration in 2010-14

・Engine and gearbox rebuild

・Original ‘Sport’ wallet, book pack, PDI and service documents 

The Jaguar XJR was a stalwart of the British Touring Car racing scene in the 1980s, the British Racing Green V12-powered coupes prepared for the track by Tom Walkinshaw Racing. 

TWR’s association with Jaguar brought with it quite a bit of circuit success, culminating in a glorious return to Le Mans in 1988, so it’s no surprise that the relationship was carried forward into road cars. 

At the same time as Jaguar was returning to the Circuit de La Sarthe, JaguarSport was set up – a 50/50 venture between Jaguar and TWR that would see everything from styling kits for ordinary models through to full-blown JaguarSport versions of standard cars – think Mercedes AMG or BMW M-Sport and that’s exactly what Jaguar and TWR were trying to achieve. 

The XJR-S was the ultimate expression of that – and an ode to those TWR Touring Car racers. Offered from 1991 with a bespoke 6.0-litre V12 with Zytek fuel injection (not to be confused with Jaguar’s later factory 6.0-litre), it had a forged steel crankshaft, forged alloy cosworth pistons, modified air intake and a dual exhaust system. 

Just 115 XJR-Ss were made, all hand-finished by JaguarSport and featuring subtle but important differences to stock models, including black trim surrounds, side skirts and Sport  alloys, along with a few interior tweaks. It was the engineering that was most fascinating, though – here was a Jaguar with 160mph capability and a mechanical set-up that was properly developed and influenced by motorsport. 

They rarely come up for sale, making this historied example a rare opportunity to own a car with quite a pedigree.

Registered in June 1992, J470 EUB was supplied new to the company director of an electronics firm in South Wales and was originally registered as J4 GPN. It was main dealer maintained for most of its early life, but was taken off the road in the mid 2000s in need of repair.

In 2010, it was acquired by a Jaguar specialist and was subject to a full rebuild, with an extensive bare metal body restoration, engine rebuild and gearbox overhaul, It was then kept for years before being sadly forced to sell it due to ill health. It is now offered for sale again, having recently been serviced and recommissioned by a well-regarded Jaguar specialist in South-East London.

There are some really interesting bits and pieces tucked away in the car’s history folder, including all three XJR-S sales brochures (one for each model year in which it was sold) and a wonderful 1991 accessories brochure, including some true gems from the Jaguar ‘fashion’ collection. 

There’s also a truly fascinating Dealer Technical Guide, which explains all of the key features of the 1992 XJR-S and gives granular technical details about the car – essential reading if you plan your own maintenance.

It also has the original cream leather ‘Sport’ document wallet, containing the handbook, various supplements and a service book stamped at 1,068, 7,631, 15,046, 56, 687, 68,554 and 90,640 miles.

The UK V5 is included and it has an MOT valid until September 2021.

The XJR-S looks resplendent in its metallic Solent Blue paintwork, while the 17-inch alloys are also in fine order.

It has all of the exclusive XJR-S parts including the ‘Sport’ grille badge and  the black headlamp surrounds that distinguish it from lesser models in the range, while the bodykit is all present and correct.

The car was subject to comprehensive stripdown and rebuild between 2010 and 2014 by the Jaguar Workshop in Ealing and has been looked after since, though there are a couple of very minor imperfections. The roof bears some light scratches in its finish, while there are a couple of microblisters on the nearside front wing, which would benefit from refinishing. 

Overall, though, it looks fabulous. 

Apart from the ‘Sport’ dials and steering wheel, there’s little to distinguish the cabin of the XJR-S from a standard XJR – not that that’s a bad thing. The cream leather is really good, as are the mushroom carpets and cream leather dash and console surrounds. 

The veneers are largely good save for a few minor cracks and all of the dials work as they should. A new headlining was fitted in 2015 to further improve matters. 

The trip computer and original Jaguar radio-cassette player are all in good working order. 

Red ‘JaguarSport V12’ badges greet you as you open the bonnet, reminding you that this is no ordinary V12 XJR. 

They tell you that the car has the JaguarSport engine with Zytek fuel injection, The engine was rated at 318hp and features a modified intake system and a low-loss dual exhaust system, along with forged pistons and crankshaft. The cars were all hand-assembled at JaguarSport’s workshop in Bloxham, where they were built alongside the XJ220 supercar. 

The engine was rebuilt while the body was being restored and the radiator and all ancillaries were renewed. It also had a gearbox rebuild with new torque converter.

The suspension also received a full working over at Jaguarsport Bloxham. Coil spring rates increased and Bilstein shocks, front and rear, were specially tuned for the XJR-S. 

During the rebuild, the front axle and rear beam were replaced and all of the suspension and steering bushes renewed. 

We were able to test drive the car and can report that not only does it feel very rapid, but is also tight and responsive, with no untoward noises or obvious faults. It holds good oil pressure and sounds absolutely fantastic. 

This is one for the collector. A very rare, limited run Jaguar and – at the time – its fastest production model other than the XJ220 supercar. 

With just 115 examples built, it’s a very rare survivor and a car that represents a safe future investment as much as it does a high performance, enjoyable and surprisingly usable classic (assuming you don’t mind the V12 fuel bills). 

It’s a rare find and something that doesn’t come onto the market very often. If you want one of the rarest and most desirable versions of the XJR – a car in which interest is rising by the day – then here’s your opportunity. 

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