1989 JAGUAR XJS

Delivered new on 14 February 1989 to its first owner, this XJR-S was specified in Westminster Blue with a Garnet Red leather interior with blue piping and an Oatmeal headlining. There is also a factory fitted electric glass slide and tilt sunroof. The XJR-S was specified with a good set of TWR options including;

Aero Kit – Front and rear spoiler and side skirts which give a 10% increase in aerodynamic efficiency and reduce front end lift, the work of Peter Stevens, who would later design the McLaren F1 – Cost £995 (1985 prices)

Suspension kit – 1 inch lower uprated springs with TWR specification Bilstein dampers – Cost £808 (1985 prices)

High efficiency kit – Free flowing exhaust and induction modifications added about 10% to the standard XJ-S 295bhp to give 320bhp using a free flowing exhaust with quad tailpipes and modified TWR induction pipes and KN air filters. – Cost £950 (1985 prices)

Modified Steering Rack and stiffer mountings – the rack was re-valved to provide more feel and precision and in this case is further enhanced by the fitment of a superb Momo steering wheel. Wheels – Jaguar XJS 15 X 6.5 J “Lattice” wheels, Jaguar part number wheel CBC2469 with the centres body coloured

Its History

Little is known about the Jaguar’s history from delivery in February 1989 up to its sale to the third owner on 19 May 1998. The Jaguar was then extensively maintained by Sidlesham Garage in Chicester and comes with a lovely set of typed operating instructions and maintenance advice written by the third owner. The Jaguar was sold to its fourth owner, a business colleague of the current owner on 11 March 2000 and he kept the car for 7 years before selling it to the current owner on 04 April 2007. The XJR-S was off the road and in storage since 2008, there is still an expired tax disc in the windscreen dated 29 February 2008 to confirm this. The previous MOT was carried out in November 2007 at 60116 miles. *The last two ownership changes result from the current owner putting the car into the ownership of his Limited Company and then returning it to his personal ownership.

The current owner since April 2007 has recently decided to part with the “Blue Lady” to fulfil a long term aim to acquire a vintage MG so considerable work has been done last year to prepare The Blue Lady for being back on the road. This included 4 new tyres, new fuel pump, full service and totally re-built brake system. With the current mileage standing at 60288 a fresh MOT was obtained on 19 November 2025.

On the Road

The Jaguar is fitted with the High-Efficiency 5.3 litre V12 engine featuring the more efficient “Fire Ball” combustion chamber designed by Swiss Engineer Michael May which produced more power and significantly better fuel economy, which coupled to the TWR Efficiency Kit gives the Jaguar 320 bhp. The lovely V-12 is very much at the heart of the effortless way the XJR-S drives with loads of power and torque from low revs coupled to a lovely free revving nature. The tweaks to the suspension and steering make this a more focused sports grand tourer and the TWR body kit adds to that feeling of focus. Inside the high quality leather and thick Wilton carpets make this a very special place to be. Helped by thoughtful design features, like the barrel layout of the auxiliary gauges which all line up in parallel in the centre when reading normal values, very much aircraft instrument inspired car. Deceptively fast and so much fun and mechanically absolutely spot on.

Conclusion

A shape that really stands out today and that has aged so well, a rare specification and links to TWR and Jaguar’s saloon car racing success, that enhance an already great car. A stunning V-12 engine and best of all in a condition that shows The Blue Lady has always been properly cared for and is in excellent condition in all respects and has never been allowed to deteriorate. It is now available for viewing and demonstration at our Hampshire premises, don’t miss this one, they are rare cars as only 787 were ever built!