1975 Jaguar XJ-S : American Beauty

Bought new in the States by its first owner who kept it until 2018 when it return to the UK and direct to P&K Thornton Restorations of Nottingham. With only one previous owner in US, our XJS proved to be incredibly original and low mileage for age. Chassis 2W51960 left Browns Lane in March 1976, making it one of the first LHD Jaguar XJ-S to make the big journey across the pond. With it’s original owner falling ill, the pre high-efficency XJ-S became available for sale and so rescued by a true classic Jaguar and Daimler enthusiast. When it arrived at P&K Thornton, the V12 was overheating due to a possible head gasket failure. Thankfully, that proved to be down to just a bunch of faulty electrical connectors caused by rodents. Bizarrely, we also found nutshells scattered around the engine bay. We removed and cleaned the top engine ancillaries, and fitted new injector rubbers. “With fuel circulating at high pressure, perished rubber is the most likely cause of a V12 engine fire; the replacement was a no-brainer,” . The V12’s cooling system was also overhauled, which included a new radiator and auxiliary hoses, while the air conditioning system was replaced with a new one from specialist Fen Air. The braking and ignition systems were also overhauled and the alternator replaced. Finally, the suspension, brakes and steering were rebuilt and the rear axle removed so it could be cleaned and painted. The bodywork and interior have been left untouched. All in all, this is a spectacular, rare and desirable early XJ-S. We’d say it’s the keenest Jaguar XJ-S V12 we’ve ever driven, and I’ve driven quite a few. The next step is to ensure it receives decent rust proofing to stop it rotting. The car is not concours, but it is a clean example of a very early pre-HE XJ-S.

For more information, please read Jaguar World, September 2020.