Jaguar XJ40 'Stealth': Spotted
Twin turbocharged version of the least-loved Jaguar XJ is very rare but also very expensive
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.
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?
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
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Is it worth £18,000? 'Course not, but it's worth a whole lot more than a boggo one. They're worth nothing, mind.
And what's with the shirt button for a steering wheel?
£18k?!
What the hell is going on with used car prices. It's like a mad person paid far too much for an old crappy car once, then everyone jumped on it.
There's a Mini Traveller up for £21k on here! I mean yeah lovely car and I love Mini's, but it's still a crap car at the end of the day. You could probably build one from scratch with all new parts for half the money.
I'm just bitter because I left it too late to buy the cars I want! Porsche 968. £8k a couple of years ago, now triple that. Aaaaaarg. Hopefully the market crashes soon.....
Power of the standard Chasseur Stealth 4 litre was 340 bhp at 4750 rpm. Torque developed was 405 lbft at 3200 rpm. There was a more powerful version which developed 460 bhp. The 1990 Jaguar Sovereign 4.0 made 235 bhp in standard form; 225 bhp was the catalyst equipped car.
The full Chasseur treatment was £18,630 - on top of the price of a Jaguar Sovereign in the case of this car, at £32,500.
It may come as a surprise to the writer, but the XJ40 has a very active following. Though a reasonably respectable car was once available for £1,000,'One owner minters' were always considerably more than this.
They are rare now; banger racers saw to that. The survivors are sought after - and a good XJ40 is worth several thousand pounds. In common with Mercedes saloons of a similar age, the XJ40 has risen in value considerably in the last few years.
This particular car was sold at auction earlier in the year, with an auction estimate of £9,000-£12,000. It made £7,500.
https://www.xj40.com/viewtopic.php?t=4085&star...
Power of the standard Chasseur Stealth 4 litre was 340 bhp at 4750 rpm. Torque developed was 405 lbft at 3200 rpm. There was a more powerful version which developed 460 bhp. The 1990 Jaguar Sovereign 4.0 made 235 bhp in standard form; 225 bhp was the catalyst equipped car.
The full Chasseur treatment was £18,630 - on top of the price of a Jaguar Sovereign in the case of this car, at £32,500.
It may come as a surprise to the writer, but the XJ40 has a very active following. Though a reasonably respectable car was once available for £1,000,'One owner minters' were always considerably more than this.
They are rare now; banger racers saw to that. The survivors are sought after - and a good XJ40 is worth several thousand pounds. In common with Mercedes saloons of a similar age, the XJ40 has risen in value considerably in the last few years.
This particular car was sold at auction earlier in the year, with an auction estimate of £9,000-£12,000. It made £7,500.
https://www.xj40.com/viewtopic.php?t=4085&star...
I whole-heartedly agree with what you say. The best car I've ever owned was a one owner from new minter, XJ40 Sovereign - could have sworn it was rated at 240bhp. Anyway, I've always loved Chasseur's, but not £18k's worth of love and sadly, not in that colour. I'd love to own one one day though, and a V12, and another Sovereign minter - perhaps not all at the same time though...
(corrections welcome, I'm losing my memory in old age
)This particular car is lovely IMHO, but 18k GBP is rather steep, and I would be worried about servicing and maintenance.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...
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