∙Low Mileage & Low owner car ∙Known provenance from new ∙Lots of history ∙Lovely colour combination ∙Very original example
The Background
The Series III Jaguar XJ was a facelift redesign version of the already popular Series II, reworked by world famous design house Pininfarina. Changes for the Series III included changes like thicker rubber bumpers with decorative chrome only on the top edge, flush door handles, one-piece front door glass without a separate quarter light and a grille with only vertical vanes.
The 5.3 L V12, incorporated Bosch fuel injection (made under licence by Lucas) and was the biggest option available producing 285BHP which was more than adequate to pull the long sleek XJ to a 0-100KPH time of 8.3 seconds.
There were only 10,500 V12 XJs built, and this makes the big cat a fairly rare car today, some 35+ years on.
The car was purchased new by a family friend of the current owner in 1986. Upon his death in 1995, his widow owned it but rarely used it, so it sat in the garage in dry storage. The current owner bought it from her estate when she passed, so it has always been garaged. This means it has had 3 owners from new.
All book and manuals are present including the original radio and key codes and RAC membership card and badge.
In 2011 it was recommissioned and put back on the road at a cost of £3k. Work at that time included a new fuel system and air conditioning compressor. Since the current owner purchased it in 2011 it has never failed an MOT and has been regularly serviced. In addition to normal servicing, the car has had a reconditioned auto box fitted, hoses changed, 5 new tyres, new brake pads and a reconditioned ECU.
The current owner is looking to sell as he has other projects that require more of his time, and given the climate something must give.
There are 14 Service stamps of which 8 invoices exist. The last service was completed at 50512 miles. There is a ring binder file of paperwork present, documenting a lot of the car’s history with paperwork for MOTs and servicing.
There a few larger invoices also present, most notably a £700 invoice for the ECU repair and £1680 for the reconditioned gearbox fitting. A selection of the invoices/paperwork are also pictured.
The car comes with the original handbook and service book (also pictured).
The interior is in fantastic condition and everything works as it should. The seats don’t look to have any real wear and certainly no tears or marks. Visually the condition of the interior certainly backs up the low mileage and it smells lovely like an old Jag.
The only two points to note inside are that the headlining is sagging and will need attention, and the veneer on the centre console has some cracks in it.
Bodywork wise the car is in original unrestored condition. As far as can be determined it has never had any body repairs, and as it is now 35 years old the claret colour paint is starting to fade a little. Like many Jags of this age unfortunately there is some surface rust visible on the bottom of the front wings and behind the rear wheels on the rear valance/bumper. There is also visible corrosion on the lower parts of the doors. There are a few severe car park dings on the passenger side rear door. This car would definitely benefit from a body restoration/respray. It was waxoyled 10 years ago and is believed to be solid underneath apart from the spare wheel well which also has some corrosion.
The wheels are straight and true but could do with a repaint/refurb. There is no kerbing.
Mechanically the car is spot-on and drives really well with no untoward knocks noises or bangs - the V12 sounds fantastic. The car has recently had 5 new tyres (inc spare) and is ready to drive away.
Well this old Jag has lots more life in it yet, and with some well guided TLC regarding the bodywork could be an excellent example matching the incredibly low mileage. The car has been cherished by each of the 3 owners, each whom knew each other and it was very much treated as a Sunday drive treat to take the big V12 out for a spin and grab some lunch.
The big V12 Jags might not be what the environmentalists would prefer we drive in today's world, and it isn’t going to be frugal on the old dinosaur juice. However, the fact remains that it is one of the best sounding naturally-aspirated engines Jaguar has produced, and if you’re a petrol head who loves large executive saloons and cruising in luxury with a considerable engine on tap, this classic is one that has lots of potential. As Jeremy Clarkson always says “you can’t beat an old Jaaaaag”.
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Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
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NO RESERVE! 1986 Jaguar XJ12 Sovereign Series 3
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