This 1984 Jaguar XJS coupe has just 37,000 miles from new and is the rarely seen “High Efficiency” model with the unique cylinder head design that increased both the compression ratio and fuel economy. The body and interior both appear to be in exceptionally nice condition, and the seller says it is a “mint” example. The asking price is $9,500, which is higher than we normally see for an XJS that isn’t a late production model or a Lister edition, but this one does look far nicer than most craigslist examples. Find it here on craigslist in Fargo, North Dakota.
Fargo is one of the last places I’d expect to see a high-end luxury car like an XJS, especially with a mint-condition body and interior. The cabin really does look exceptionally well preserved, with leather surfaces all appearing to be extremely clean and the steering wheel exhibiting next to no signs of wear. The plush floor mats similarly present as being clean and damage-free, and the dash doesn’t reveal any cracks. The wood trim in the dash rarely looks as good as the day it left the factory, and while I’m sure in-person inspection will reveal some flaws, it still looks sharp in pictures.
Even the trunk presents in as-new condition, with the original full-size spare tire cover in mint condition and the same for the carpeting and black plastic surfaces. While low mileage is always nice to see, it’s really just one part of the equation when gauging how well a car has been maintained. It’s clear from these photos that someone loved this XJS, and that it was likely only used in favorable weather conditions. The seller doesn’t provide any in-depth detail on recent maintenance or whether any records will accompany the sale, but the pictures should inspire some confidence that it’s been in the hands of careful owners.
The HE designation is certainly cause for some concern, as attempts at driving better fuel efficiency in the 80s didn’t always go as expected. The unique cylinder head fitted to the V12 engines actually seemed to provide a decent driving experience, with the aforementioned bump in compression courtesy of the novel “high swirl” flat-topped pistons. Power supposedly remained consistent with the non-HE models, and fuel economy was always said to jump considerably. I have no idea if this changes the difficulty level in tracking down replacement parts should a component fail, but at the end of the day, it looks like a cared for XJS with low miles – what’s not to love?
Probably like new because it spent its life in the shop. Wonder how the high effiency deal worked out, seems like an oxymoron talking about a high effiency Jag. Sure looks pretty. Good luck, you will need it. And deep pockets.
Stay safe and wash your hands.
Cheers
GPC
Nice.
Yep…I’d totally restomod.
At least lose those ungraceful 80s safety bumpers.
I think the HE designation simply referred to the new high compression head design. It had a bump in power if I recall correctly, and they kept the design from there on, so no lack of parts. Looks like a super nice example. These cars aren’t as bad as everyone says, nice to see it still has the V12 in it and not a carbureted SBC.
Actually it’s the pre-HE V12s that are “rare” in an XJS. The vast majority of them made (12 years of production worth) have the HE motor with the May heads but Jaguar stopped calling it out so prominently. There’s nothing wrong with them, and they do get way better mileage with no power loss or other issues.
The pre-HE heads are only more desired by people who want to majorly hot rod their V12s as there are limitations to how much more volume you can pump through the HE combustion chambers due to their unusual shape.
Buy a jaguar V12 and make sure your cooling system in in good order. They are extremely robust motors when properly maintained.
If every last part on this car has been replaced, then maybe… at half the price.
Sweet looking car. I’ve always loved the Jaguar XJS. This is my favourite front end appearance.
Every Jaguar V12 after ‘81 is an HE, so parts are not an issue.
By ‘84 they actually weren’t too bad so long as maintenance was kept up and the cooling system wasn’t neglected.
A great highway cruiser.
I had a couple of these. (Had a bunch of Jags through the 80s)
My first one,back in the 80’s was a soft-top conversion (years before Jag made one). It also had a “Johns Cars” 350 Chevy instead of the V12. It was alot of fun, and I kept it1bout 14 years.
My next one, was an ’84 XJS coupe. It was almost identical to the car listed. My car was black, with tan leather, and had just over 30,o00 miles. It had been a gift from a well-known NHL player to his father. Dad drove the car sparingly on weekends, mainly to the golf club. He stopped driving in his early 80s, and the car sat parked a few years. The family eventually traded the car to a local mechanic who services their cars. My friend, the mechanic realized he would not have time for the car, and offered to me “You like those weird foreign cars”. I paid $2,000.
I went through it, brakes, fuel sstem, shocks, tune-up. Drove me nuts for a while, eventually finding an intermittent fall in the injection module. Got it looking and running great, but it was kind of boring. I tried to sell it for $5,000, but no takers….and not much interest. I eventually traded it with classic car dealer
on a nice ’69 Corvette that had been in storage for 13+ years.
These old V12 Jags are wonderful cars. They can be expensive and difficult to work on. They also have a limited following. This is a nice one, but others around for much less.
I’ve seen these models with a straight 6 Cylinder and a 5 speed. If I wanted to deal with all the aggravation of owning a Jag of this generation, thats the only one I would consider owning
Jeff Lavery, you commented, “The HE designation is certainly cause for some concern, as attempts at driving better fuel efficiency in the 80s didn’t always go as expected…”
Not sure why you are negatively commenting, most XJS’s are of the HE design as has been mentioned several times here. I’ve owned a bunch from ’86 to ’89 and would be proud to own this one. Very clean, well kept, and nicely preserved. About the only modification I’ve made with all mine were to add the rear sway bar. It really keeps the car flat when screaming around curves!
Oops, meant to say, “owned several from ’86 to ’94”
Had one and liked it until a tree fell on it…
No matter what she is beautiful.
I had an 1974 XJ sedan. Great car once I transplanted the 1986 Tuned Port Injected 350 Corvette motor and R4 700 trans. Ran pretty great lots more acceleration braking was marginal even with 4 disks,and could get parts easily. The TPI had the wild tube design that topped the engine, a very exotic look.
https://tinyurl.com/tt7wamt
Just sayin.
Thanks, Tex…Always did cars in “pull-me-over” Red!
I do like the 4-headlamp system much better over the Euro design, too!
Never mind the quality, feel the price!