JAGUAR XJS 4.0 Celebration - Retro-mod. £30,000 spent. - Deposit Taken...

Deposit Taken...

Jaguar XJS 4.0 Celebration - Retro-mod.

This XJS is a 4.0 Celebration given a retro-mod makeover by the previous owner, Adam.

Adam bought the car in September 2020 from a dealer. This was during lockdown of course and when it arrived he was somewhat disappointed with several aspects of the car. Mainly the leather interior condition. This had looked great in the photos but had been leather painted and as such didn’t stand up to closer inspection.

The car has a thick service history file with paperwork going back to 1998. The service book has 10 stamps covering the PDI at 12 miles in April 1996 and beyond, and the invoices in the file cover the rest of the car's history until it arrived with Adam.

He set about his task and by the end of it, he reliably informs me that he had ploughed in the region of £30,000 into the project. I guess we all know how things were back in the lockdown and that’s quite some wedge to spend on an XJS, but you have to agree that the car does look rather striking in its finished form?

It might not be everyone’s cuppa-tea of course. Purists might feel it’s a hanging offence to take a car in this direction, but having driven it I have to say it’s a pleasant experience. It’s obviously a bit tricky over the speed bumps, but the handling is excellent, it’s not in any way crashy or harsh over the bumps and in the main, I’d say it drives better than the standard setup. It sounds excellent, and again not anti-social, just a little more vocal and in keeping with the look of the car.

So, what was done…?

It was subject to a full body restoration. Glass out, door, bonnet and boot were removed and taken back to bare metal with all of the corrosion removed and new, replacement metalwork fabricated.

The car was green but has been changed to Emerald Fire Green which is a Jaguar colour, but from the next generation of cars such as the XJ300 series and XK8 range. It’s stunning on the XJS shape.

The car sits on unique 3-piece 18" ATC wheels which are 9J and 11J respectively with 255/35 and 265/35 tyres fitted. The chassis has been fitted with custom GAZ shocks, 80mm lower Eibach springs and poly bushes all round. The arches needed alterations, as did the hubs and brakes to fit these gorgeous, image-changing wheels underneath and the inboard XJS brakes have been swapped out for later Jaguar XJ300 rear hubs and upgraded brakes. A lot of work, but well worth it I feel.

The car has been fitted with US-specification front lights (RHD).

New windscreen, body shell totally sound deadened, new carpets, new roof lining, seats re-trimmed in leather, door cards re-trimmed in leather, centre

console re-trimmed in leather, lower dash re-trimmed in leather, supplied by Aldridge Trimming in Wolverhampton. The car has also had a newly veneered wood dash set in walnut and a retrimmed steering wheel.

Mechanically the engine and gearbox have been serviced and checked. The head was removed and refreshed by FJ Payne & Son. In Dec ’22 at 119,541 miles the head was refitted and the bottom end inspected by Greg at GDP Jaguar Specialists. They also fitted a reconditioned differential, new diff output shafts, and the XJ300 hubs and new rear brakes and pads, plus fresh oil, filter and anti-freeze. The camcover has been painted to match the bodywork and there is a cone-style air filter system fitted to the car. It sets the engine bay off beautifully, as does the manifold welding.

The fuel lines have been flushed and the filters have all been changed. The braking system was totally renewed, plus a beautiful custom stainless steel exhaust system with new manifolds and cats was fabricated and fitted by Richs Fabrication Shop. (Go and check out his Instagram page). The A/C system has been restored with a new condenser and hoses as required.

I’m not a stereo expert, but as you’ll see the car has upgraded speakers, tweeters and an Axton A500 Amp in the boot.

It’s still a 27-year-old car, so there will always be things to be done, but I think you’ll agree that this car is a long way from an ‘old XJS’. The car came to me as a part exchange on another XJS, and it was for sale at Kingsleys at £37,500 in the summer. Maybe it’s worth that, but it’s with me and for sale at £22,999, and I’m happy to take one or more PX’s on it. I’d love to think it’ll bring something in against it just as interesting. We will see….

Please give me a shout if you’d like to ask any questions or come and see the car.

Ed

Part Exchange - Again, I appreciate this car isn't going to be the purist's favourite, and that might bring up some possibly quite interesting PX's, so do feel free to contact me if that's the case.

Ed - 07970 464360