For those dreaming of the idea of big-block Mopar power stuffed inside a luxurious British grand touring icon, this 1976 Jaguar XJS might be right up your alley. With their V12 engines, these Jags were excellent performers in their own right, but the thought of installing some powerful U.S. muscle in the bay of one of these cars sounds like a really promising upgrade. If you’re already imagining what it would be like to get behind the wheel of a 440-powered example, this 1976 XJS is located in Cave Junction, Oregon, and can be found here on Craigslist. This one is priced at $18,500, and we’d like to thank reader Tony Primo for finding it and sending in the tip here!
Imagine the surprise on your friends’ faces when you lift the forward-mount hood and they see this 440 below with dual-quad carburetors, which the seller says delivers more than 500 horsepower. Some specifics mentioned are aluminum heads, Anderson headers, and an exhaust system with electric cutouts. It’s paired with a 727 Torqueflite automatic, and both the engine and transmission are noted as new. There’s also a line-lock valve in the brake system, which should be useful at the drag strip or for those who just want to do excessive burnouts whenever the urge hits.
In keeping with the Chrysler theme, the exterior has been painted in a shade the owner calls Crazy Plum, or Plum Crazy if you prefer to stick with Dodge terminology. There’s no information on what color this one started as, and no details on what body prep was needed before it was resprayed. It’s possible that the panels have always been this straight, and I’m certainly not spotting any obvious sheet metal issues anywhere outside. It’s unusual to find Cragar S/S mags on a Jaguar, but they seem right at home here.
No photos are provided of the interior, but the seller says a full roll cage and 5-point seat harnesses have been installed to provide protection in the unfortunate event that the 440 ever gets out of control, which will hopefully never happen. This seems like a fast and fun cruiser, and I’m guessing someone who appreciates Mopar mechanicals in Jaguar clothing will snap this one up fairly quickly. Any thoughts to share on this heavily modified 1976 XJS?
The Anderson aluminum heads (plus aluminum manifold?) dropped 100-125#’s off its weight, which initially started out weighing less than the V12 did anyway while gaining almost 2 liters with that HP jump.
That said, practically everyone loves the feel of a smooth V12 but as the Jensen Interceptor crowd came to appreciate the 440 really gets the job done and practically any small town old school mechanic can fix just about any drivetrain maladies with locally sourced parts.
IMO, this’d be more fun as a driver than a strip car, especially with EFI.
The new Jagrunner. Very low production of this model!!
Bet it runs damn good!!
I was never a lover of this model Jag, but this treatment is ‘kinda cool’! It’s now a muscle car. Quite a lot of work was put into this! Thumbs up! Boy…. if it had a stick, it would really be something!!
Ugly! Keep the stock classy color and wheels. Looks like something a kid would do. These were beautiful looking cars. Too bad the electricals and engines did not match. A smoother running small block, maybe super charged, and a quiet exhaust would have made for a great car. Plus, why not go with a 5sp? Jag made some like that with sixes, so the hardware is out there, just begging to go in.
UK hillbilly for sure!
I HAD AN 89 xjs and it had a 350 in it with a turbo 400 trans ,,don’t know how they got that 440 in there,,event the exhaust was tight so if you wanted bigger pipes with a 440 don’t know how
awesome !
a flagrant example of somone
‘livin the dream’ .
Who does this?
White trash Jensen Interceptor. But in fairness, with what a good 440 is going for these days, you couldn’t build it for the asking price.
Personally I love this just the way it is! I’ve always been a fan of Plumb Crazy. A 440 and TorqueFlight is a great combination. Excellent body style. A sbc was a common swap in earlier ones so why not a 440? For the purists out there, there are plenty stock ones to had so no reason to hate on this one. For me I’ll also say I’m glad to see it doesn’t have an LS swap. An LS is a very good engine but everyone and their pet pig has something with an LS swapped in. Just like soooo many early hot rods of any brand got a small block Chevy dropped in.
I’m with you Mike, I think somebody with eclectic tastes who can appreciate what this car is will want it asap, and the price seems more than fair all things considered. Frankly I do but now isn’t the time. Plum Crazy Mopars are in my favorite cars of all time category, as are many Jaguars, and having put an old school hemi in my ’57 Belvedere right out of high school the 440 in this Jag is isanely cool to me. I think the Cragars are a nice touch as well btw, that would be my choice. I wouldn’t race it though, I’d just drive it and have fun.