Thursday 31st July 2014

Jaguar XJR: Spotted

The one thing missing from a real driver's Jag found in a 20 year-old XJ

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There's just no telling some people, is there? Much though we bleat on about how good some manuals are, from hot hatches to sports cars, the apparently inexorable rise of automatics continues in many a performance model. Shame.

Et voila!

Take the Porsche Cayman. Select 'high to low' in the PH Classifieds and you'll go through 28 PDK cars before coming across a manual. 28! Of the 88 current Caymans for sale on PH, there are just 16 manuals on offer. And this in a two-door sports car with one of the best manual gearboxes you can find. Doesn't look good for the future of three pedals and a stick, does it?

But a range of automatic Jaguars is more agreeable given they're luxurious saloons and GTs. Perhaps the F-Type experience could be improved with a manual but the ZF eight-speed auto is pretty damn good. And yet there's something oddly appealing about this manual XJR.

That's right, a manual XJR. Only offered up until the X300 six-cylinder version, any XJR with three pedals is unsurprisingly a very rare beast. The advert states only 120 RHD cars were ever produced with only around 40 remaining. HowManyLeft shows two 'Jaguarsport XJR-4.0' cars in the UK, compared with 34 autos.

And a good colour combo too

Lord knows what it's actually like to drive. Google 'Jaguar XJR manual' and it suggests you search for XKR manual instead. But regardless, who wouldn't fancy changing their own gears in an XJR? Whether anyone would want to enough to actually buy it is another question...

As the less conventionally desirable XJR, the manual should be cheaper than the auto. But given this car's relatively low mileage (69,000) it's hard to find a directly comparable J-gate car. This auto is £1,500 less, an X308 can be had for under £3K and, if you're feeling especially brave, this X350 is less than the X300 manual too.

So instead consider it as an E34 M5 alternative. Both 90s straight-six manual sports saloons after all. And when this 116,000-mile M5 is £9K the XJR looks much better value at £5,550. What else can you compare it to? The big Merc and Audi alternatives will be auto only unless you venture further afield or otherwise it will be smaller saloons.

Some will of course say that a big Jag four-door should always be an auto. They might be correct. But there's undeniable curio and enthusiast appeal to this XJR, particularly with a standard LSD too. Chris has just shown us all how to powerslide, so how about hooning around an airfield in this old Jag?

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JAGUAR XJR
Engine: 3,980cc straight-six, supercharged
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential
Power (hp): 322@5,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 378@3,050rpm
MPG: 21
CO2: NA
First registered: 1995
Recorded mileage: 69,000
Price new: £45,450
Yours for: £5,550

See the original advert here.

[Source: HowManyLeft]

[Triumph Man]

ooo the wand of power

In my opinion a manual XJR is at Terry-Thomas levels of cad. If I had £5500, I'd be on my way there now!

[W124]

Arghhhh! I've got money here I'm supposed to be giving to the Revenue! Do not tempt me so. For I am weak...

[RichardR]

I've always had a soft spot for these XJs and especially the XJ-R but the lack of a manual option has always been the fly in the ointment (or would be if I was in the market for one).

The fact that people only seem to want autos and the corresponding effect on this has prices is the icing on the cake!

For that reason, I'm in (or would be if I was in the market for one!)...

[soad]

Needs to be V8-engined.

[Snake the Sniper]

soad said:

Needs to be V8-engined.

Because a supercharged 4l straight 6 is just so underpowered........

[smilo996]

Just don't look at the paint over the froint lights if you do not want to see the primer.

Top car.

[Crusoe]

would probably do almost 30mpg on a run too with the straight six... lots of want here

[soad]

Snake the Sniper said:

soad said:

Needs to be V8-engined.

Because a supercharged 4l straight 6 is just so underpowered........

I'm not knocking it. And there's more to life than Power.

I just feel a V8 suits Jaaag well, and it's more aurally pleasing too.

[Limpet]

I do like these. So understated and elegant. And with a manual, just

[moskvich427]

Paying a big premium for the manual box there... I'd take an M5.

[cookie1600]

Me, the 13th Duke of Wybourne, in an XJR with manual box? What were they thinking?

[ajmcampbell]

soad said:

Needs to be V8-engined.

But none of the V8s came as a manual?
Would tend to agree with you though, the V8 is a peach.
Like these a lot; genuinely comfortable in a way that modern Jags aren't, and pretty speedy too.
It's just the whiff of bus pass that puts my mind in doubt

[Limpet]

ajmcampbell said:

It's just the whiff of bus pass that puts my mind in doubt

For me that's part of it. It adds to the surprise factor from the punch in the guts.

[British Beef]

E34 M5, E39 M5, Lotus Carlton and this Jag, last of the manual uber family wagons.

Strange thing is in US the E60 M5 was offered with a Manual, but never offered over here, shame.

I think today the only uber estate with a V8 and manual box is the Holden GT Estate.

[P4ROT]

Awesome- lots of want.

[ajmcampbell]

Limpet said:

For me that's part of it. It adds to the surprise factor from the punch in the guts.

Fair point! Have a similar desire for a beige small wheeled VTEC Mini Mayfair noone would see that coming!

[Dr G]

moskvich427 said:

Paying a big premium for the manual box there... I'd take an M5.

...but find me another one with mileage as low and comparable condition.

Were I in the market for a toy this would be right up my street and at 5k sounds very fair indeed.

I'm sure a snotty auto would be significantly less but I've no interest in buying something rough.

[d3llams]

I personally prefer the sound of the straight six.

[V8 TEJ]

Although I've never owned a X300 (only X308) the general opinion seems to be that the manual cars are not as nice to drive as you would imagine. I suppose you would get used to it, but it is not exactly a sporty feeling manual.

For me the plus point is that, these cars generally meet their end when the auto box fails. The cost of this generally writes the car off (for most). I can't see a clutch change being anywhere near the cost of an exchange replacement auto box (although I haven't checked!) so the remaining manual cars should survive well.

Edited by V8 TEJ on Thursday 31st July 14:35

[pSyCoSiS]

I've had two of these X300 XJRs - fantastic cars.

Lovely sound from the inline 6 howling alongside the supercharger whine!

Would love to experience a manual version - although it would feel 'odd' in an XJ.

V8 are indeed a more refined machine and better put together, but something raw about the X300 superchargers.

Grab one while you can - these certainly will be appreciating assets.