Is the Jaguar XJS ever going to get more respect on the used project car marketplace? It’s hard to say, but listings offering a two-for-one deal for a pair of V12-equipped XJSs for under $3,000 make it hard to believe these cars will ever be worth much. When you can buy a truly decent example of a coupe for under $10,000, even this deal listed here on craigslist can seem like a reach. Still, this one has great colors, wearing a respray in British Racing Green paint but supposedly somewhat rusty, and the second car comes from Oregon and is likely a non-runner.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the find. Despite being offered as a pair of cheap projects, theses Jaguars don’t appear to be past the point of saving. The big question is just how rusty the green one is, because it comes with a title from New York State. Sadly, NYS still salts its roads fairly liberally in the winter months, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see a lot of scale underneath. The seller reports that the interior is dried out and cracking, so perhaps the cabin in the Oregon car can be swapped into the NY Jag, or the running motor from the green car can be dropped into the non-runner from Oregon. The green car does come with this sweet Nardi steering wheel.
A 5.3L V12 is not exactly a dream engine for a project, and it’s no coincidence many of the powerful mills get yanked out in favor of a Chevy small block swap. It makes sense, considering how labor intensive these cars can become when left sitting, but the good news is the green car still runs and drives. Power-wise, it makes a respectable 262 horsepower, but it sadly has to be channeled to the pavement via a 3-speed automatic gearbox that doesn’t like to be rushed. A manual swap is possible if you go the SBC route, but it’s a question of how much labor you’re up for in order to keep these cars on the road.
I have to admit, seeing white-letter radials on a car like this is a bit jarring. The XJS is still a handsome design all these years later, and I’ll always stop and stare at a nice example in traffic. The questions for opportunities like this usually around who wants to take on the working of making these cars into reliable runners, and are they enough of a Jaguar fanatic to overlook current values in light of the labor needed to get them usable? It’s a passion project for sure, but if the price can be negotiated a bit further down, it seems like a fair offer if you can make good use out of this two-for-one deal.
I have now owned a total of four old British cars. There’s no such thing as a bargain on one. Fun to drive but complete money pits.
Even an MG Midget. Don’t ask..yet i loved that car!
I always remembered these w flush headlamps.
Saw a T Bucket hot rod powered by one of these V12s – pretty cool!
Here’s something you don’t see often..a BOGO offer on XJ12s! Usually those are reserved for chicken nugget or hamburger orders. Also, concerning the SBC engine swaps, there’s a popular You Tube mechanic who was doing the opposite, stuffing a XJ12 engine into a ’66 Chevelle. I don’t know how that turned out because he went radio-silent on the project.
The Chevelle is still featured in the background, on his videos.
He just seems to have gotten distracted with all the other projects he has on the go.
I often read that there’s no hope for the young generations and that they don’t care about cars. Yet I have a young colleague driving a half ratty XJS V12 as his daily driver. Probably not completely troublefree… It made the time I drove a Rover 3500 V8 in my early engineering days seem like a totally sensible thing to do (And no, it was not without its challenges. I ended up buying an old 1960’s Beetle as a second car just to have something to take when I really needed to know that I would get to my destination without any issues!)
Wow, someone else who had a Rover 3500S. I have had lots of Jaguars( dozens ) and lots of Rovers also 2000’s TC2000’s 3500S’s.
Have to say would buy another Rover 3500S ( P6 ) if I could find a good one.
In ’89 I bought a one owner 50k mile Florida 84 XJS. Green and tan… Ojh boy. !!
Took it on a 1000 mile trip loved it…. and Everything was fine until the heater core failed and was replaced…. involved removing most of the dash. A year or so later the A/C condensate was draining onto the passenger floor… turned out that the drain tube was jammed.. unplugged it with a coathanger wire. That was the cheapest fix over the whole 11 years !!
Next was a freon leak and keeping it charged. Needed alot of expenso work… so it sat for a couple of years. Got it going again and was fed up with it..in about 2000 sold it for half what I paid for it… then add back all the repairs.
I quickly learned the reality on cars like this is: Rich people buy them new and lose them when the warranty runs out. After that you’re driving something that just LOOKS like a Jaguar…..
The A/C is essential because it was so aerodynamic that the small windows don’t let any air in and you roast… The engine and drivetrain never gave trouble.
Take a good look at that engine picture… lots of vacuum stuff…
Always loved the looks of the XJ-S when they came out…but as you know with many used English cars…troubles and expenses will quickly arise. Have seen nice examples for under $15K in racing green/tan interiors/wire wheels that I have often thought about buying for some weekend cruiser or for local car shows…still might.
Part of the reason is that Jags of this era really need to be driven often or even daily. When they end up one or twice a month car show picnic queens, they deteriorate daily. While I am mostly a purist, I do see the advantages of dropping a more modern engine in them. They are then more maintenance free and you can actually drive them daily without having to marry an tow truck driver’s ugly daughter.
Update: the second, Oregon car is gone. They are selling this one for $2000.