• Year of manufacture 
    1988
  • Chassis number 
    SAJJNADW3DA147386
  • Engine number 
    85056253HA
  • Lot number 
    379
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Number of seats 
    2
  • Location
    United Kingdom
  • Exterior colour 
    Other
  • Drivetrain 
    2wd
  • Fuel type 
    Petrol

Description

1988 Jaguar XJ-S V12 Convertible
Registration no. F1 LXC
Chassis no. SAJJNADW3DA147386
Engine no. 85056253HA

Conceived as a comfortable and long-legged Grande Routière, rather than an out-and-out sports car like the preceding E-Type, the XJ-S made use of the Jaguar XJ6/XJ12 saloon platform and running gear. Shorter in the wheelbase than its saloon siblings, the XJ-S debuted as a V12-powered coupé, with six-cylinder and soft-top versions following in the 1980s. The car's 150mph performance was not achieved without penalty however, its prodigious thirst causing sales to nosedive as oil prices soared. However, the arrival of the HE (High Efficiency) V12 in 1981 and the introduction of the smaller six enabled it to weather the storm. The introduction of the six-cylinder model in 1983 coincided with that of the Targa-style cabriolet - the first open Jaguar since the E-Type's discontinuation - but it was not until 1988 that a full convertible became available.

Jaguar's first response to demands for an open-top XJ-S was somewhat conservative in engineering terms. The XJ-S had not been designed with an open version in mind, so the Targa-style arrangement was adopted, which retained a substantial roll hoop in the interests of maintaining rigidity in the absence of a fixed roof. Essentially an exercise in niche marketing to test public reaction, the Cabriolet's production was entrusted to outside specialist contractors, with bodyshells being transported back and forth across the Midlands before returning to the Brown's Lane factory prior to final despatch. Following the Cabriolet's deletion, both the Coupé and conventional Convertible models lasted until the end of XJ-S production in 1996.

This automatic transmission XJ-S V12 Convertible has undergone a detailed 'last nut and bolt' rebuild with no expense spared, the works being carried out during 2012/2013. 'F1 LXC' comes with a full history file containing all its original paperwork, restoration invoices and a full photographic record of the rebuild showing the car before, during and after. Finished in brown with matching leather interior, this quite spectacular XJ-S V12 Convertible is offered with current MoT certificate and a V5C registration document. The only notified deviation from factory specification is the provision of a rear bench seat, replacing the carpeted shelf.


Bonhams 1793
101 New Bond Street
London
W1S 1SR
United Kingdom
Contact Person Kontaktperson
First name 
Bonhams Collectors’ Car department

Phone 
+44-2074685801
Fax 
+44-2074477401