2025-03-26 18:25:30 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 3/25
carsonline.bonhams.com/en/listings/jaguar/xjs/50bc29ae-c16a-45af-8594-9ad5a44a7d ...

Auction description:
New Brakes and Calipers
High Efficiency Engine
Exceptionally Low Mileage Example
39000 miles (indicated)
auto
Right-hand drive

Vehicle location Bonhams|Cars Online HQ, United Kingdom
Contender For Best of Breed - Only 39,000 Miles

2025-05-20 06:26:13 | pauls writes:

Car returns to auction 5/25

carsonline.bonhams.com/en/listings/jaguar/xjs/50bc29ae-c16a-45af-8594-9ad5a44a7d ...

Auction description:

New Brakes and Calipers

High Efficiency Engine

Exceptionally Low Mileage Example

Vehicle location Bonhams Cars Online HQ, United Kingdom

SAJJNAEW3BC119605

38,840 Miles

5343cc

auto

Signal Red

Black Leather

Right-hand drive

Signal Red XJ-Ss are rare from this period, and this finish is perfectly complemented by a black leather interior. Despite now qualifying as an historic vehicle, hence attracting zero road tax and having no actual need of a pesky MoT test, it comes with a fresh certificate with no advisories that runs until March next year. 

Exterior

Do you want the good news or the bad news? The bad news is this isn’t a concours XJ-S. The good news is, it’s not far off at all. Why aren’t there more Signal Red Jags from this period? It looks stunning.

That paint is mostly excellent too, save for some very minor blemishes, which you have to look hard to find. For instance: the joint between the nearside front wing and the sill shows slight paint damage.

There’s some light orange peel in the paint around the door handles, the chrome of which shows minor tarnishing, and a tiny paint crack at the inner base of the nearside rear buttress.

The Jaguar badge in the middle of the front grille has degraded slightly, there are some tiny marks on the rear bumper chrome near the numberplate and the paint on the original alloy wheels is starting to lift in places.

That said, overall this car looks absolutely lovely. The panel gaps are all excellent – tight and even, it’s incredibly original in every respect, and the faults are very minor. And, of course, it’s covered just 38,840 miles.

Interior

The best thing to combine with Signal Red paintwork is a black leather interior. Top marks to the original owner then – clearly a man of style and taste.

It’s often said that the earliest examples of cars are the best, the original styling intact and unsullied by restyles and facelifts. It’s certainly true of the XJ-S.

Look at the fabulous roller-barrel auxiliary gauges – who needs heads-up displays and video screens when you can have a dash like this? And look at the condition of it. If you ever doubted the mileage figure a glance in here soon confirms it’s correct (as does the fully stamped service history, by the way).

There are the lightest signs of use on the driver’s seat but they’re almost invisible, and for a 41 year old car the interior is absolutely fantastic. The carpets are almost spotless, the headlining is excellent and the whole cabin is an extremely well preserved time-capsule from 1985.

Mechanical

Jaguar’s engineering jewel, the world’s first mass market V12 car engine, sits snugly in the engine bay it was fitted into 41 years ago. It’s unlikely to have ever been out at this mileage. You have to listen carefully when it’s running – it’s so turbine smooth that it makes V8s sound positively agricultural.

There’s minor surface tarnishing on the alloy and plated components in the engine bay, but everything is just as it should be – right down to the original stickers. Overall, it looks great.

At this mileage it’s just getting into its stride, and will likely continue to purr like a well-fed cat for very many years to come.

The owner tells us that the car had a major brake overhaul a few years ago, with new calipers and discs fitted (and there’s a supporting invoice in the documentation section of this listing).

History

This XJ-S was first registered on 6th November 1984 by the supplying dealer Barrett’s of Canterbury, and was used by the managing director with his original registration 777 GRB. The car still retains the original rear window sticker.

It was then bought by its second owner on 1st March 1985, with his personal registration 84 DBM, and the car resided in Broadstairs, Kent.

Despite no longer needing an MoT test thanks to being over 40 years old, this Jag went through a test in March this year, passing with no advisories.

The Jaguar comes with its original handbook pack, including authorised main dealer service history up to 2010, at 38,496 miles. The current enthusiast owner says:

‘After searching for an original XJ-S for a long time I found this one for my private collection. I brought the car in August 2015, and I now want someone else to enjoy the car as much as I have, as I’m moving away and do not have the garage space.

‘The car was first brought brand new by John Barrett, of Barrett’s Jaguar Canterbury. He was the dealer principle – see the original sticker in the rear window and on the number plates.

‘I’ve only used the car for sunny day drives and to attend local car shows. It’s in very good original condition, an exceptional example of an early XJ-S. It has no known faults as far as I am aware, and is a matching numbers car with its original engine.’