1992 | Jaguar XJS 6.0 V12

J540 WOB was first registered on 26th February 1992. Supplied by the franchise dealership Avalon Jaguar in Wolverhampton from new and sold again by them in 1999, the car is a half facelift which offers the more ergonomic body and suits a larger person but retains the chrome bumpers for the more traditional look. Regarded by specialists as the sweet spot for the XJS, the car has belonged to an XJS enthusiast vendor for the last eight years and was always destined to be his crowning glory car with little regard to costs. A staggering £70,000 has been spent on what is probably the finest example we have seen. This amazing Jaguar has benefitted from a bare metal respray which included the replacement of new metal for any sections of corrosion including those with the potential to corrode. The wings were even removed to access areas that cannot be seen. Simply put if it needed doing it was done. The stunning paintwork for this XJS took six weeks to complete and included two coats of paint and three coats of lacquer. The bumpers and irons were bead blasted, painted and wax injected and should last a lifetime.

In the world of XJS engineering KWE are considered the best. Famous for Top Gear presenter James May's car, they were the obvious choice for our vendor to work on his car. They removed and stripped the V12 into component form, they soda blasted the block and the water capillaries returned to better than factory, casting defects were removed to improve flow, all parts were inspected tested and checked for compliance. The V12 was rebuilt with the last set of liners in the UK at that time, new pistons, rings, timing chains, both heads where skimmed and new Kevlar head gaskets fitted, new valves lightly ported, and balanced, all ancillaries are new, water pump, starter motor, high torque alternator, new injection system. The engine is brand new and has 1,000 shake down test miles by Chris Knowles (MD KWE). We are informed that the car is very powerful and pulls more like a six litre with bags of go delivered smoothly through the power band.

The exhaust is Simply Performance free flow stainless steel, they produce a tasteful rasp and allow the big V12 to exhale correctly, which has improved the BHP and overall performance, the exhaust note is crisp yet not intrusive. These works didn't come cheap, but if you want the very best you must pay, and our vendor I did, over £34,000 pounds.

The Jaguar XJS has never be known for its handling and this was once again addressed by KWE who stripped out the rear cage and worked their magic on the suspension fitting GAZ adjustable dampers and new springs all round, complemented with improved poly bushes in certain areas to stiffen the ride and allow for flat cornering and better braking, the ride is compliant, sharp and the Jaguar turns in when you ask it, very different from the following crowd, its well balanced, firm enough to give added road holding yet soft enough to retain the XJS ride quality.

Every element of the suspension and cage/crossmember has been shot blasted, powder coated, replaced, with new bolts washers and nuts, the brakes have been upgraded to Brembo discs, with new calipers, caliper pins brake hoses hydraulic lines, the master cylinder and slave cylinder are also new, fitted with high quality Kevlar pads so the car stops on a dime and is far superior to a standard XJS. The car is riding on TRW 17-inch rims, the improved tyres transform the ride and the road holding, the wheels have been diamond turned and bespoke finished to suit the car.

To complement the mechanics the interior needed to be special. With this in mind Aldridge trimming in Wolverhampton were chosen initially for a new roof which it retains in the original factory colour of chocolate brown, both the roof and roof liner were replaced including the control wires, the roof rams have also been serviced and fresh mineral oil added to the system, the roof works as it should.

The seats and carpets are bespoke and a swatch of the fabric selected can be found in the history file, Ferrari saddle tan and champagne carpet. The dashboard was removed, and the entire dash has been retrimmed in leather to match the seats with French seams to enhance the feel of quality. The door cards and rear panels were also retrimmed to match and the seat belts have been bespoke made by a specialist to match the seats, the retractor reels have been rebuilt with new springs and the seat belt stalks replaced with new old Jaguar stock. The wood was removed and sent to the USA where upon it had gold inlay added to the door trims and dash, the ski slope was remanufactured to replace the utterly useless ash trays with two matching drinks holders. The interior is pulled together with a dark wood slightly smaller to aid access and egress steering wheel from Nardi. The invoice for Aldridge trimming was £13,000 and wood veneer a further £2,000 and the steering wheel £1,000, so impressed with the colour of the seats Aldridge asked if they could use the seat for their marketing which they do. All receipts for the work have been retained and the car is presented with the original factory wallet including manuals and service book.

Whoever buys this XJS will be getting something very special for an absolute fraction of the costs spent by our vendor. It is unlikely these works could be undertaken today for less than £100,000. Consigned by Dominic Lake

Lot details
Year: 1992
Make: Jaguar
Model: XJS V12 Convertible
Registration: J540 WOB
Chassis No: SAJJNADW3EN180653
Engine No: 8S083345SJ
Odometer: 90,018


* Probably the finest example available

* £70,000 of receipts

* 18 service stamps