There was never meant to be another XJ12 after Jaguar pulled the plug on the XJ Series 3, allegedly because under British Leyland ownership the S3’s replacement was designed to specifically not accommodate a V8 engine. Jaguar’s concern that the company would ‘throw a Rover V8 into anything’ being greater than the market potential from a luxurious über-Jag. 

But Ford had different ideas when it took over Jaguar in 1990, and one of the first jobs it signed off on was a project to redesign the entire front end of the car to accommodate the 6.0-litre V12 from the XJS, thus giving Jaguar a credible rival to the top-of-the-tree Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series models. 

The price of redeveloping the XJ40 (under the codename XJ81) would come in at more than £35 million – in isolation, a cost that Jaguar would have found extremely difficult to justify as the XJ40 was already heading into its final years. However, the decision to develop the XJ40’s replacement off the same basic architecture meant that the reengineering could progress, based on the V12 also going into the new X300. 

This example is one of less than 450 XJ12 XJ40s made and has had five owners from new, all of whom have cherished it and maintained it to a high standard. It has covered less than 55,000 miles from new.

 • 17 stamps in the service book

 • All original documents

 • Brochures and press pack

 • Heritage certificate

 • Every MOT from new

The XJ12 variant of the XJ40 was both late to the party and a bit of a niche, so it’s not much of a surprise to find it was a slow seller, with fewer than 500 RHD examples known.

This one was left languishing in a showroom in Yorkshire until its successor, the X300, had already been on sale for several months. It was finally registered in May 1995 by Perry’s Jaguar in Huddersfield and was looked after there until the original owner moved it on in the mid-2000s. It has had three owners since and the mileage is verified by both a fully stamped service book and the car’s MOT history.

It is supplied with a copy of the factory build and despatch record from the Jaguar-Daimler Heritage Trust along with two original brochures and a Jaguar-Daimler “V12 models” press kit from when the cars were announced in 1993.

 • Magnolia leather with red piping

 • Bespoke red carpets

 • Immaculate condition

 • Working air con and original stereo

This is a truly lovely car in which to spend time, with gorgeous, unspoilt and barely marked magnolia leather trim with red piping. The red theme continues to the carpets, while you’re subtly reminded that this is a bit more special than a normal XJ40 by the “V12” insignia subtly inlaid into the pale walnut veneers. 

It’s in gorgeous order – the carpets, seats and headlining are excellent, the door cards are perfect, the original radio work perfectly, the factory toolkit is present and unused. It’s just… lovely.

 • Rare Flamenco Red

 • Original paint

 • No major defects

 • Great alloys and high-quality tyres

Finished in Flamenco Red, which was only offered from 1993 to 1995, the XJ12 looks absolutely magnificent, with no major flaws or defects. The paint is excellent save from a very tiny defect on the top of the driver’s door, while there’s also a tiny rust bubble on the inner driver’s door skin. 

And that’s pretty much it.

The underside has never been welded, the alloy wheels are spotless, the tyres are all good quality Continental items and all of the chrome and trim are excellent, save for some minor deterioration to the badges.

 • 6.0-litre V12

 • Four-speed auto

 • Well-maintained with recent major service

The Xj12 has an impeccable service history and was last given a major inspection including an oil change and new plugs at 52,424 miles, less than two years and 3,000 miles ago.

It starts and runs impeccably with no known issues, registers good oil pressure and is described by the vendor as an absolute delight to drive.

Jaguar XJ40s are doing pretty well in the market these days even with a six-pot under the bonnet, so this wonderful V12 example is bound to attract a lot of attention, not least because it’s a wholly original car with a full service history and in utterly glorious condition. 

It’s as good as an XJ40 gets and is a very rare and significant car in Jaguar’s history. A real gem.