RE: Jaguar XJR: Spotted

[dinkel]

Loplop said:

Numerous E34 M5s have been for sale at the same or less money over the past few months.

An E34 540i is just as fast even in auto guise which would set you back about £3k.

You'd also get a tidy E39 M5 for that money.

My bro has his 2003 4.2 XKR for sale and it's a so much prettier car. maybe it's a marmite thing?

[alexfrog]

I'd take this one for £5000 less:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...

[XJ40]

Awesome cars, I'm a big fan. Looks a great example there. Had an XJR previously but had to break it on account of the fact that the underside had dissolved..

Here's a couple of gratuitous pic's of my current XJ40, just because I can.. it's a modified 5sp manual Sov.

Edited by XJ40 on Tuesday 2nd February 17:41

[j_s14a]

IMO the 6 cylinder supercharged XJR was the only really special one. Even the V8s that came later never felt as special.

[SebringMan]

I owned one, but it had the early TWR bodykit. The 4.0s featured a High Lift inlet car, modded ECU in addition to a different and cooler looking inlet manifold.







TBH there was something about them. I enjoyed that car, probably more than I did a friend's later X308 XJR. While slower they did not feel it and they felt sporty, almost like a precursor to the 90s sporty executive saloons (which of course it cannot be since the E28 got there first on two counts). For some they are al little too hard to drive, but I did like the manners of the XJR (XJ40). That in the later XJRs would be great. Of course, Jaguar seem to be going back to this.

[Baryonyx]

That is gorgeous.

[Mr Tidy]

From what others have said it doesn't look like the "R" added much to the standard XJ, and while that does look dear, it's probably the only one in such original condition with so few miles so I guess it will appeal to someone!

Some years ago I used to fly from Heathrow on business and the firm used to pay for private hire cars to collect us from home to the airport and bring us back, and my fondest memories were of being driven in an XJ8. Just so relaxing and they really knew how to do a quality interior - so much better than all the A8s, 7 Series, E-Classes, S-Classes or Range Rovers.

[to3m]

Rubin215 said:

I just bought a standard XJ6 for £50.

I expect to spend about £500 putting it back on the road.

I also bought a '98 XJR last year for £1650 and it has cost me nothing so far beyond tyres and standard servicing.

I have a lot of change left over...

This is more the sort of price I'd expect.

I was thinking of buying one of these in 2009 - either a late model straight six or an early model V8 (so with four headlights and a moulded bonnet, like you'd expect). The idea of paying much more than about £2500 then seemed like madness, and it doesn't seem any more sensible today. But fortunately I didn't have to worry about the issue, because there were piles of them in the classifieds for about £1500.

Presumably this is the effect of the oil price. And now even the fugly square-bonnet ones are £10,000+! Who said cheap oil was a good thing? Won't somebody please buy this, then scrap it, so we don't have to look at it.

[dbdb]

groomi said:

J4CKO said:

groomi said:

Lovely car and in great condition. The thing is with the XJR, it wasn't really significantly faster than a standard XJ and the interior is ruined by that hideous steering wheel.

Now, if you can find a Chasseur Stealth Bi-Turbo in that condition...

I like the idea but a 1980s turbo conversion decades on, named after a casserole, attached to a famously rusty Jag could potentially be a real nightmare unless you find a very, very well looked after one.

IIRC there was a lot of development done beyond just the engine mods. Lots of suspension and brake work (and I might be getting confused here) tested at the 'Ring. One of the guys behind it used to be on PH.

There were quite substantial changes under the skin on the Chasseur in addition to the turbocharged engine - with a modified suspension and brakes and some metal changes to allow for wider wheels and a lowered suspension. The basic package was about £19k on top of the price of a 4 litre Jaguar Sovereign, though with a full set of modifications, it could and often was quite a lot more than this. The basic car made 340 bhp - 460 bhp was available, if you paid enough.

The Chasseur stealth was the most famous and highest selling modified XJ40 (the Chasseur Stealth sold well and quite a few survive) - but several companies offered fast versions. Janspeed was the first, achieving 330bhp. These were mostly fairly unmodified other than the engine and though they didn't sell in great numbers, their survival rate seems high.

Most expensive was the German modified Arden Twin Turbo. The power these developed varied by specification, but it was never less than 330 bhp. The Arden Jaguar had extensive interior modifications. Arden also sold an uprated V12 engine for the later XJ40 with IIRC around 400bhp. They were also hugely expensive and as with the Arden Twin Turbo are sought after now.

Arden Twin Turbo

[dbdb]

dinkel said:

Loplop said:

Numerous E34 M5s have been for sale at the same or less money over the past few months.

An E34 540i is just as fast even in auto guise which would set you back about £3k.

You'd also get a tidy E39 M5 for that money.

My bro has his 2003 4.2 XKR for sale and it's a so much prettier car. maybe it's a marmite thing?

Tastes vary: not everyone places the same value on individual cars, nor makes the same assessment on subjective matters such as style. For an enthusiast and collector, this is especially heightened. It is their nature.

The XJ40 is an old car now. It has reached an age where there are very few cars left in good condition. In this it is quite different from a 2003 XKR. That is a modern car and there are plenty of nice ones about. Not as many as there were, but enough to be able to find one.

This car does seem expensive so the seller will need to find someone who really wants it, but as with anything, it will either sell, or it won't. He just needs the right buyer to see the car.

The best condition cars are not bought by mainstream work-a-day buyers who will make 'What car?' style assessments in order to stretch the furthest amount of perceived value out of their purchase. They are bought by people who want a specific type of car - and may have a collection of many cars. The price they are prepared to pay for a car may seem excessive to the average person, but such buyers are not motivated by opportunity costs.

One of the things which always baffles me about Piston heads is how incredibly narrow people's taste is here. The world outside isn't one-size-fits-all - and not everyone likes and aspires to own the same cars.

[pSyCoSiS]

That is a lovely car. I think those XJ40 XJRs look just right. Subtle modifications that still give it that extra edge.

It is expensive, but to echo what others have said: it is a niche, specialist car and one for which there is a buyer out there somewhere, willing to pay the premium to own such a rare and unique car with that low mileage.

[pSyCoSiS]

XJ40 said:

Awesome cars, I'm a big fan. Looks a great example there. Had an XJR previously but had to break it on account of the fact that the underside had dissolved..

Here's a couple of gratuitous pic's of my current XJ40, just because I can.. it's a modified 5sp manual Sov.

Edited by XJ40 on Tuesday 2nd February 17:41

Oh my, that looks gorgeous! Perfectly complements the X300. A pair of very naughty looking motors!

[pSyCoSiS]

Twoshoe said:

If there was an award for which alloy wheels look most like cheap aftermarket wheel trims, this would surely win.

Not at all. Each to their own and all that, but personally I think they look spot on. They are not trying too hard, but still look muscular in their own way, especially with the width of the wheel and size of the tyre.

IMHO, Jaguar XJ and XK have given us some of the nicest alloys wheel designs over the past 25 years or so, from the XJ40 cross spokes, the X300 'Dimple' Sport alloys, the 18" Pentas on the X308 XJR and the BBS Detroits from the XKR.

[jamieduff1981]

to3m said:

Rubin215 said:

I just bought a standard XJ6 for £50.

I expect to spend about £500 putting it back on the road.

I also bought a '98 XJR last year for £1650 and it has cost me nothing so far beyond tyres and standard servicing.

I have a lot of change left over...

This is more the sort of price I'd expect.

I was thinking of buying one of these in 2009 - either a late model straight six or an early model V8 (so with four headlights and a moulded bonnet, like you'd expect). The idea of paying much more than about £2500 then seemed like madness, and it doesn't seem any more sensible today. But fortunately I didn't have to worry about the issue, because there were piles of them in the classifieds for about £1500.

Presumably this is the effect of the oil price. And now even the fugly square-bonnet ones are £10,000+! Who said cheap oil was a good thing? Won't somebody please buy this, then scrap it, so we don't have to look at it.

I feel the same way about your BMWs

[Axionknight]

TurboHatchback said:

I do like an XJR but that one seems an enormous amount of money for what it is. I'd much rather have a nice x308 XJR for £4k-£6k and spend the change on petrol.

Agreed.

Plus that steering wheel is pretty awful - I couldn't live with that.

I do like an old, fast Jaaaaaaaaag, though.

[Derventio]

Absolutely love that Arden. Looks like the kind of thing the bad guy would drive in an 80s action film.

Kind of like this too...
http://www.arden.de/en/parts/jaguar/predecessor-mo...

[XJ40]

pSyCoSiS said:

XJ40 said:

Awesome cars, I'm a big fan. Looks a great example there. Had an XJR previously but had to break it on account of the fact that the underside had dissolved..

Here's a couple of gratuitous pic's of my current XJ40, just because I can.. it's a modified 5sp manual Sov.

Edited by XJ40 on Tuesday 2nd February 17:41

Oh my, that looks gorgeous! Perfectly complements the X300. A pair of very naughty looking motors!

Thanks! You seem to be something of a connoisseur of retro motors judging by your profile.

[RoverP6B]

jamieduff1981 said:

I very strongly suspect that the right customer for this car will not also be weighing up an E39 M5.

Maybe they are very different, but I want both rather badly.

[pSyCoSiS]

XJ40 said:

Thanks! You seem to be something of a connoisseur of retro motors judging by your profile.

I do try and keep it old school!

[firebird350]

"I like the idea but a 1980s turbo conversion decades on, named after a casserole, attached to a famously rusty Jag could potentially be a real nightmare unless you find a very, very well looked after one."

Well, nothing to do with casseroles, Chasseur is simply the French word for Huntsman. Add in the word Stealth (the modus operandi in hunting) and you can see the intention implied in the car's name - i.e. Q-Car.