V12 Survivor: 1986 Jaguar XJS
The other day I was walking in the neighborhood of my office, and for the 50th time, I saw the white XJS V12 that “lives” about fifteen blocks away. This time, the owner was out, wet-sanding its paint. I asked how the car ran; he said “Great now that I put a 350 Chevy in it!” Blasphemy! I exclaimed. He replied, “Well, I wanted to drive it.” Fair enough, but I think Jags just need the right owners, like certain dogs. Here on eBay is a 1986 Jaguar XJS V12 coupe looking for the right owner, currently bid to $9201 in a no-reserve auction. The car is located in Orlando, Florida. The XJS’s gestation inside Jaguar was unusually long. The project – codenamed XJ27 – commenced in 1966, with the initial design penned by Malcolm Sayer, a fan of aerodynamic design. His untimely passing in 1970 caused a hand-off to Jaguar’s in-house design team, so the car wasn’t introduced until 1975. Originally equipped with Jaguar’s XK V12 engine, the car was met with underwhelming demand. The oil crisis was in full swing at the time, discouraging purchases of gas-thirsty cars, and the car’s design was somewhat controversial.
In 1981, Jaguar’s high-efficiency (HE) V12 was ready, and a new generation of the XJS hit the market. The HE engine was relatively gas-miserly (for a V12), but its output also rose to about 250 hp (American version). The V12 was only available with a Getrag automatic. This car is said to run and drive well, having received meticulous care throughout its history. The odometer reads just under 70,000 miles. Original documents include the owner’s manual, the sound system instructions, a shop manual, and a service booklet as well as two sets of keys. The tool kit and jack are also with the car. Numerous photos show the various warning and instruction stickers, including these underhood – and most appear to be original and undamaged.
The interior is nearly perfect, but the seller studiously avoids a close-up of the driver’s seat, and the photo above shows why. The left bolster is deformed and the leather is worn and slightly discolored. But the rest of the luxury cabin is in great condition, with no marks on the dash, clear gauges, nice trim, and mostly intact rubber seals. This car was factory-supplied with a sunroof, and photos demonstrate that it still works.
The underside is clean as a whistle. A reference to the Pirelli tires notes that they are “nice”, but I’d want to know how old they are; more than seven years and they’re already hardening no matter how deep the tread. I’d add to the list of pre-purchase checks a hot-weather drive to see how the cooling system behaves. These cars were notorious for overheating, and maintenance to forestall problems is not always easy. Prices hug the mid-teens for good condition cars; this one’s originality and colors will likely bring it to that level once all’s said and done.
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Comments
Before anyone starts in with the “XJSes are soooooo unreliable…” stories, I just want to say I drove at least a half-dozen of them, both coupe and convertible, when they were new (and got a ride around a race track in a “Group 44” XJS) and to this day can remember how smooth, comfortable, surprisingly fine-handling and rapid they were. And if they had manufacturing faults under the skin, the skin itself was finished to wonderfully high standards.
I’ll admit that a total of a thousand or so miles isn’t likely to bring the gremlins out of hiding, but this is a car so brilliantly conceived and turned out that I’d endure a fair amount of discomfort and inconvenience just for the pleasure of listening to that big V12 whirr into life and taking a fast run through the hills.
They never were considered cars for everyone. They still aren’t.
The V12 scares most people b cause you can’t see it under all the tubes and wires. Move them aside and it’s really pretty simple. And beautiful. Plus it makes more net horsepower than a 454 454= 230 net. V12 262 DiN Net
But if you aren’t willing to DIY . Don’t buy. Semi decent mechanics will have no problem. Jaguar forum will help you. There is a free downloadable book that really covers them well on the Jaguar Forum.
The engine is t extremely well built. Often let down by poor maintenance. Or abuse.
Transmission is a GM Turbo 400 capable of anything you throw at it. Or it can be affordably switched to a manual 4-5-6 speed Chevy gearbox. Jaguar V12 and Chevy use the same location for locating dowels. Bolt pattern is different but a simple mornings work to build an adaptor.
That changes the whole character of the car from a stately cruiser to a sporty GT.
Electrical relay loaded electrical nightmares. My childhood friend worked at Howard Orloff Jaguar in Chicago and used to do head gaskets and engine replacements under warranty on these all the time along with diagnosing and tracing all the electrical gremlins these cars have.I worked on a few at our shop and their were Lucas and Bosch relays all over the car that would fail a bunch in trunk too.That v12 never impressed me.Small block Chevy v8 conversions were very popular for these in the 80’s and 90’s. This car should have GM turbo 400 trans not a Borg Warner.Probably the best thing about it.
I had this exact car in 1986. Bought from jake Kaplan Jag., Prov. RI. Lost the car, sadly, in divorce court.
I would need 4 Jaguar mechanics at my disposal and also own a gas station.
Might be worth buying because I need to learn how to work on them and keep them running or just put a Cummins in it and call it good
I owned an XJ-S V12 (‘91) for 13 years. The basic mechanicals are reliable, and I never had significant electrical issues. I sold mine because it needed PM and no one in my area would touch it. I do want to comment on two points in this description: first, I believe this car would have a GM THM400 transmission, and second, I do not believe sunroofs were a factory option on any Jaguar GT until the F-Type.
A friend of my Father’s had a new 1986 and the sunroof/moonroof ? was metal and body color, not glass. If you look closely, you can tell this one is aftermarket. The sunroof is not contoured perfectly with the roof.
Gorgeous cars and fliers. 140+mph 4600lbs !
Remember the later 4.0 I6, stick shift models too. Even more top end, and 800lbs lighter. 3.54 gear ⚙️ 🇬🇧 🙌
Sister had an XJS that she fried the engine on when it gave her no overheat warning. No help from Jaguar or the dealership. She was so disappointed.
Beautiful cars, drove and handled like a dream, plagued with electrical problems though. Constantly in the shop, had to finally get rid of it, loved the engine and trans on it, wish I could have kept it and put that into another ride.
I’ve owned two. Beautiful cars, no doubt. I had a/c issues with both, and one needed a rear oil seal, a $3500 (in 1994 dollars) ordeal.
Love them, but if I ever really considered one again, I’d do a 350 Chevy swap, no doubt.
Unless I hit the lottery.