Back in 1981, someone acquired a Jaguar XJ-S HE, but decided against driving it often. Moreover, the owner of the vehicle even kept the original plastic seat covers. All the paperwork associated with the vehicle since 1981 has also been kept, which is impressive. Now, the vehicle will be sold at auction.
The Jaguar XJ-S HE in question was only driven 3,751 miles (ca. 6,037 km) from new, and it comes with everything it had when it left the factory, including its Dunlop Sport tires. Now, the latter will have to be changed as soon as the new owner gets the vehicle, as they are unsafe to use after that many years, but it is fascinating to see how many original parts were kept.
The low mileage is explained by sparring use between 1981 and 1988, and from that point on, it was only taken for its MOT inspection, from what its documents show. The vehicle has no rust, and its V12 is described to start right up, as the engine is frequently turned on and let to run, but not driven as to prevent it from gathering any more miles.
The only non-original parts of this vehicle are its battery, which had to be changed several times now, if we think about it, and one of its power steering hoses.
The owner even kept receipts for fuel from 1981, including coupons for a promotion. The new owner of the vehicle will never get to enjoy the special offer from the participating gas stations that could have landed them a large wine glass or even a decanter. Oh, well, it seems that you cannot have it all.
Photo: Car&Classic UK Auction platform
While looking into the sales listing, it appears that this 1981 Jaguar XJ-S was the subject of a recall, and the owner has kept the original letter from the manufacturer. The recall involved replacement of certain fuel hoses under the hood to prevent fuel leaks.
It is impressive that the owners of this vehicle managed to hold on to documents like these from the 1980s, while owners of much newer vehicles cannot even keep both keys, not to mention documents. That is why this Jaguar is worth more than any comparable model that you can find for sale, except for the one owned by Frank Sinatra.
Yes, the original owner sold it at some point, but the new owner has managed to avoid adding himself to the vehicle's documents by acquiring it on the yellow V5 slip. In other words, the person who buys this Jaguar will be its second owner in the vehicles' documents.
The good news is that its current owner owns a garage, and the vehicle has had its fluids changed, as well as having regular maintenance performed on it, such as changing the spark plugs, filters, and so on. However, it is important to note that this vehicle has not been on the road since 2005, after its MOT expired.
Bidding will be open on March 1, 2022, and interested parties only have seven days to place an offer. The company in charge of the auction has not specified an estimate of how much this Jaguar is worth.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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