Tuesday 5th July 2016

Jaguar XJ40 'Stealth': Spotted

Twin turbocharged version of the least-loved Jaguar XJ is very rare but also very expensive

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Please make sure that you don't have a mouthful of tea or coffee before you read the next sentence, there's a fair chance it could end up dripping from whichever screen you're reading this from. Because this is a Jaguar XJ40 wearing an £18,000 pricetag, a valuation that few of its ilk have been able to justify since five minutes before they had their numberplates screwed on for the very first time.

Indeed the XJ40's reputation for shonky build and electrical maladies meant that it descended into Shed territory faster than anything else wearing a Jaguar badge, even the mostly unloved X-Type. It's not long since a realistic budget for a half decent XJ40 - and many would tell you that's as decent as they ever got - was about £500; double that would buy you a one-owner minter. These days there aren't many left - this is the only one currently residing in the classifieds - but even with rarity factored in this is still an XJ40 trying to justify an asking price substantially north of what you'd need to pay for a really nice aluminium bodied X350 XJR, complete with its wuffly supercharged V8.

Not that the Chasseur Stealth is any old XJ40. It was the product of a Buckinghamshire company that specialised in fitting contemporary Jags with both chuff rockets and the sort of brawny body kits that people seemed to go for at the time, and then naming them after chicken dinners. The conversion of this XJ40 cost £18,750 on top of the original price of the car according to the advert. The car was then exported to Japan, where it seems to have lived all of its life until now.

Chasseur outsourced engine tuning to Turbo Technics, with this car having been given a makeover including the addition of a brace of Garrett T25s and an upgrade to the oily parts of the venerable straight-six engine. The seller claims an output of 310hp, although most contemporary reports quoted 340hp. Regardless, it's still a substantial upgrade over the standard XJ 4.0's 225hp. When it was new this would have been one of the fastest cars on the road.

It certainly looks to be in decent fettle, although the metallic silver paintwork is likely to be a little bright for some, if not most. The interior includes both that early 1990s staple of walnut cappings for the doors and dashboard as well as what looks to be various bits of carbon fibre trim on the centre console, a sort of tweed-with-leisureware combination that sums the car up pretty well.

The problem with all low-volume conversions is working out what they're worth, with the recent emphasis on originality meaning that immaculate standard cars are often valued more highly these days. That's probably not the case with the Chasseur Stealth; just 43 were produced, they were well regarded in period and they do seem to create a buzz in Jaguar enthusiast circles when they come to market. But could any version of one of the least-loved executive cars of the period really justify this pricetag?

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JAGUAR XJ CHASSEUR STEALTH
Engine: 3,980cc six-cylinder, twin turbocharged
Transmission: 4-speed auto
Power (hp): 310
Torque: N/A
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/a
First registered: 1990
Recorded mileage: 55,000
Price new: c. £40,000 (car plus conversion)
Yours for: £17,995

See the original advert here

[jamespink]

6 pot with 300 HP @ £18k... I'll pass.

[jamespink]

dbdb said:

Dismissing the poor old '40 as 'not a proper Jag' is a bit of a stretch, considering the founder of the company, Sir William Lyons, was involved in its design. That said, there are plenty of people who argue the MKX is the last 'proper Jag'.

It'll rust here, here and here Sir...