1993 Jaguar XJS - XJS V12 Coupé

Delivered new in Germany

Rare transitional model

Unrestored original condition

Original 40,500 kilometres

Only three keepers from new

On 10 September 1975, Jaguar presented the XJ-S to the world at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It had the unenviable task of succeeding the E-Type – a car that had already become an icon in its own lifetime. The large, angular XJ-S could hardly win that contest. Yet it was actually the more modern car and, above all, the better long-distance companion.

Under the long bonnet initially sat nothing but Jaguar’s 5.3-litre V12. From 1981, the revised H.E. version brought more reasonable fuel consumption, while Jaguar also made considerable improvements to quality and finish. Six-cylinder versions and a convertible followed later, and slowly the XJ-S began to emerge from the considerable shadow cast by its predecessor.

In May 1991, the by then remarkably long-lived Gran Turismo underwent another thorough revision. XJ-S became XJS, while frameless side windows and new horizontal rear lights gave it a considerably more modern appearance. Beneath the skin, the proven recipe remained: a long bonnet, twelve cylinders and an abundance of motor car surrounding two occupants.

Yet as early as spring 1993, another revision followed, bringing plastic bumpers. This left the transitional models with an exceptionally short production life. According to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, just 352 such Coupés were built during the whole of 1992.

This Westminster Blue XJS was registered in Gütersloh on 4 February 1993. The Jaguar is almost surprisingly modern in its specification, with cruise control, electrically adjustable seats with memory function and heating, ABS and an airbag. When the car changed registration on 22 July 1996, a used-car warranty was taken out at 30,000 kilometres. The final service entry dates from October 1996 at 36,586 kilometres. In March 1999, the Jaguar was registered to a lady who took it off the road on 30 December 1999 and put it into storage.

What impresses most is its exceptional unrestored state of preservation. To return the XJS to proper use, the tyres were replaced and the fuel injectors cleaned and tested, with the results documented in a test report. This was followed by a general inspection and air-conditioning service. Now the luxury cat is once again showing itself in all its glory, standing out from the automotive crowd even more than it did back in 1993 and delighting with that smoothness, effortless authority and understated manner that have always distinguished a twelve-cylinder Jaguar.

The combination of a transitional model, V12 engine and German-market delivery already makes this car the proverbial needle in the haystack. To find one in such remarkably original and unrestored condition, and with a mileage of just 40,500 kilometres, is rarer still. Finding another comparable XJS V12 Coupé will be anything but an easy task.