2023-11-26 09:39:26 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 11/23

carsonline.bonhams.com/en/listings/jaguar/xjs-40-aj16/ad421333-6367-4d3b-9384-9a ...

Auction description:

VIN SAJJNAED3EJ194989

Estimated value £10,000 - £15,000

Seller Private: mygriffith

69000 miles

4000cc

auto

Red

Ivory Leather

Right-hand drive

Vehicle location, Bonhams|Cars Online HQ, United Kingdom

Freshly Recommissioned – Offered from a Private Collection

With just three former keepers and less than 70,000 miles on the odometer, ‘M565 DDX’ now sports a fresh and advisory-free MoT after sorting out the advisories it picked up during the previous test in February; how’s that for dedication?

Finished in red with an ivory leather interior, the four-litre AJ16 engine and the four-speed automatic gearbox make it as pleasing to the eye as it is effortless and rewarding to drive. 

It’s been in a small collection since 2011 and has covered fewer than 3,000 miles in the past decade. Free of the usual structural corrosion and rot thanks to meticulous storage and maintenance, this is an ideal opportunity to buy the XJS you’ve been promising yourself. 

Exterior

The metallic red coachwork looks stunning, doesn’t it? With smoked rear lenses and minimal chrome, the combination brings that iconic design bang into the modern era.

Of course, they would all count for nothing if the condition wasn’t as good as it is; with ripple-free flanks, tight and consistent shutlines, and some of the best panel alignment we’ve seen on the model, you’re going to struggle to find a better one.

The lamp lenses, window glazing, windscreen, and badges are all equally good; this is a car whose details are every bit as good as the rest. (And, let us not forget how rare the European headlamps are now, their rarity being the reason you see so many running around now with the twin-round ‘Federal-spec’ ones…)

The five-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels are as close to pristine as you’ll find on a car of this age thanks to having been refurbished only recently. 

They’re fitted with good tyres all round too, Pirelli P7 on the front (fitted new under 500 miles ago) and new Michelin Primacy on the rear that were fitted only this year.

As for flaws, there is a little lacquer loss on the front part of the passenger’s door and the boot lid. There are also a couple of small chips on the very edge of the driver’s door and the opening edge of the bonnet. Apart from those minor details, it’s all good.

Oh, and the boot lid you think doesn’t align properly? It does. It appears someone owes the office cake as the penalty for not shutting it properly before it was photographed…

Interior

If the coachwork is surprisingly contemporary for a car that was launched two decades before this one was built, the interior is resolutely old school and all the better for it. With lashing of ivory leather, contrasting coffee-coloured seatbelts and carpets, and half a forest of walnut veneer, it is everything a Jaguar’s cabin should be.

Of course, being a Jag there’s also a smattering of chrome trim - and as for its condition, just feast your eyes and imagine wafting along sitting on what is only a very lightly creased driver’s seat while enjoying the view of crystal-clear instrumentation and shiny, undamaged wood trim. 

Coffee-coloured seatbelts all round add a further dash of style and the leather extends to the dashboard and door cards as well as the rear seats and it is, if anything, all in a better condition even than the front seats.

The carpets, which are the same hue and piped with ivory to match the hide, are excellent. They’ve even still got the proper Jaguar over-mats, the ones with the (intact) rubber inlay under the driver’s feet. Lifting them shows only good soundproofing material and solid painted metalwork, too.

The boot is just as impressive and plays home to the space-saver spare wheel and its carpet cover.

As for flaws, while the recently refurbished headlining is taut and largely clean, there is a mark above the driver’s seat, presumably where a tall person’s head has brushed it.

Mechanical

Since 2005, the XJS has been looked after by Premier Vehicle Services, the independent Jaguar specialist, and the stamped service history book makes for reassuring reading:

September 2005 and 56,022 miles – service by Premier Vehicle Services

September 2006 and 60,060 miles – service by Premier Vehicle Services

September 2007 and 62,400 miles – service by Premier Vehicle Services

September 2008 and 65,169 miles – service plus front and rear brake discs and pads, new auxiliary belts and a battery by Premier Vehicle Services

March 2012 and 65,276 miles – service plus front brake calipers and damper bushes by Premier Vehicle Services

March 2013 and 66,930 miles – service and new radius arms by Premier Vehicle Services

March 2014 and 68,998 miles – service by Premier Vehicle Services, plus a new battery

March 2015 and 69,025 miles – service by Premier Vehicle Services

March 2016 and 69,106 miles – oil service by Premier Vehicle Services

October 2017 and 69,129 miles – service by Premier Vehicle Services including sparkplugs and new radius arm Polybushes

July 2020 and 69,629 miles – service including new front brake discs and pads plus tyres by Premier Vehicle Services

May 2023 and 69,823 miles – service, including the gearbox, by Premier Vehicle Services

All he hard work has paid off because it starts on the button, idles beautifully and revs smoothly – and it does so showing good oil pressure and a healthy charge to the battery. Nor are there any warning lights illuminated on the dashboard.

(The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed it also has half a tank of fuel…)

As for the condition of the engine bay, while a few of the brackets and fasteners do have some surface rust on them, the overall presentation is very good indeed – and anyway, if it was perfect under there you wouldn’t have an excuse to get out and into the garage over the festive season, would you?

The front scuttle panel, which is a notorious rust trap, has been professionally replaced but everything else is in the condition you see thanks to fastidious storage and curation over the years.

It’s much the same underneath the XJS. It’s strong and clean and no MoT tester has ever had cause to mention structural corrosion. Yes, you could spend half-a-day with a wire brush and a pot of underseal when the muse is upon you but that’s definitely a job for Future You. 

More pressing, but only slightly, is tidying up the front valence, which has some scrapes. It is largely hidden from view – and it’s plastic, so it isn’t going to rust – but it does rather spoil what is otherwise a very well presented example.

History Highlights

The Jaguar’s MoT certificate is valid until October 2024 and it, like many before, was issued with no advisories following the recent recommissioning work the previous test in February 2023 identified.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and the Jaguar comes with its book pack in addition to the stamped service history booklet and plenty of old MoT certificates and invoices.

2025-02-22 11:08:26 | pauls writes:

Car returns to auciton 2/25

carsonline.bonhams.com/en/listings/jaguar/xjs-40-auto/f9be3ca9-80eb-4e6b-b74c-36 ...

Auction description:

Very Clean Example

Fresh MoT

Desirable AJ16 4.0 Litre

Vehicle location Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

70,179 miles

3980cc

auto

Red

Cream Leather

Right-hand drive

Estimated value £8,000 - £12,000

2025-03-02 11:58:26 | pauls writes:

Car returns to auction 3/25

carsonline.bonhams.com/en/listings/jaguar/xjs-40-auto/f9be3ca9-80eb-4e6b-b74c-36 ...

Auction description:

Estimated value £8,000 - £12,000

Vehicle location Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

70,179 miles

3980cc

auto

Red

Cream Leather

Right-hand drive

Very Clean Example

Fresh MoT

Desirable AJ16 4.0 Litre