Shed of the Week: Jaguar S-Type V8
A 'misunderstood sort of beast', and a Jaguar saloon; Shed speculates on an S-Type V8
Can it be called the S-Express with 281hp?
The fear of personal bankruptcy makes the V8 model much more affordable, with no shortage of solid-looking specimens on offer at our £1K-and-under qualifying price.
Before we get into this cosy S-Shed, one of any number we could have easily picked, let's pause for a moment to recall the supercharged 400hp 4.2-litre S-Type R. That was a quick car. Too quick, it would seem, for sometime Jaguar F1 'ace' Antonio Pizzonia who rolled one after absent-mindedly selecting an F1 braking point rather than the one he actually needed for a substantial barge containing himself, an Autocar scribe, a tooled-up snapper and a full leather interior with deluxe stereo. That point being about 150 metres further back up the track.
Styling probably best described as 'classic'
A leggy R will cost you as little as £4k, with even fresher examples coming in at comfortably under £10K, making it a tempting left-field choice for the discerning hooligan, given that the last Rs retailed at a bluey under £50k. Regular V8s like our Shed are not as ballistically quick as the R, but they still deliver the mink-glove delights of 281 smooth hp, 150 refined mph and six surprising seconds for the 0-60 dash, all for under one thousand of your English pounds.
Yep, definitely an 'old man Jag' in here
Any misgivings you may have about the S-Type's mechanicals or exterior appearance are quickly forgotten once you've slid into the cabin. If you're not a fan of high dashboards you probably won't like it, but if the phrase 'womb-like' takes you back to a nicer place, you'll be right at home there. You'll notice lovely woods and leathers and good build quality.
This 2001 car may or may not benefit from the engine and steering improvements Jaguar made in that year. It would be nice if it did, but with the best part of a year left on the MOT, would it be that much of a loss if it didn't?
The S-Type was the last of the 'old man Jags'. That's most often used as a derogatory term, but Shed sees things differently. He sees the S-Type as a classy full stop to a 50-year era that brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of people.
Metallic GREEN, Beige Full leather Interior, Right hand-drive, Standard Features - 16" Dynamic alloy wheels, 8 way electrically adjustable front seats/lumbar, Audio system - EON/RDS/TA/PTY/CD compatible, Audio+phone controls on steering wheel, Automatic climate control, Cruise control, DSC-Dynamic Stability Control, Elec adj steering column + memory, Electric tilt/slide glass sunroof, Heated door mirrors, Immobiliser, Memory for drivers seat/door mirrors, Multi function steering wheel, Traction control. Part Exchange To Clear, £999
The later ones - Digga snr eventually got an '03 V8 - with the facelifted dashes were far better all round.
ETA fantastic video - very funny and props to Sutcliffe for his sang froid.
He turned up on Monday in one of these S-Type V8s in the same blue- and has since said hello to me three times! I've even seen him smiling.
Game over.
The old man is revving himself up to turn to the dark side; a diesel XF. The process of him prizing his wallet open is, form one as impetuous as me, painful to witness. I will drop this little gem into the conversation next week and hope that it galvanises him into some sort of action.
Huge amount of car for the money, excellent shed this week.
How ANY of these things have survived, I do not know.
If you live in London or Essex, I can recommend an excellent transmission company in Ilford.
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