Thanks to their long production life and timeless design, Jaguar’s XJ series of cars seems to still be rather common. However, among the XJs, it’s not too easy to find an American market car with the early chrome bumpers, tall grill, and other styling features seen on the original version of William Lyons’ classic design. What’s more, the V12 engine was only introduced near the end of Series 1 XJ production, in July 1972, so only about 3200 S1 XJ12s were built. While they were known to have significant cooling problems, they were also said to be the fastest full 4-seater for sale at the time. You can find this Jaguar XJ12 for sale in Pottstown, PA with bidding at $910 and 5 days to go.
A popular upgrade is to convert the standard-size DOT headlights to big-and-little units as seen in the rest of the world. Why can’t luxury car manufacturers pull off an elegant steel wheel and hubcap combination anymore? Understanding the limitations of photographs in an online listing, the car really does look to be in very good shape – glossy paint, shiny chrome, and generally very well-kept. There is some damage on the roof where the paint appears worn thin from polishing. Notice the car is in a lot full of Dodge Chargers – were they going to drop in a 440 and go hunting for Jensen Interceptors?
The seller mentions the rust visible on the right rear fender well, and there may also be some at the base of the rear window. The car runs (and will be delivered “running on all 12” with a tune-up), but needs work on the brakes and exhaust. The car was in storage until 2 years ago, but given how many of these are simply rusty, sun-baked hulks needing everything, this is a real jump start, even if trouble-shooting the V12 and doing the recommended repairs will test your patience. What’s going on with the tail lights? They appear to be entirely orange.
Yikes! All those wires, hosing, and engine ancilliaries sure are intimidating, and don’t do anything to make the engine live up to the aesthetics of its little 6-cylinder brother. Has anyone ever tried stripping one of these engines down to the essential bits, not only for looks but also for ease of maintenance? Storing the air conditioning, power steering, and primitive emissions equipment would probably do a lot for the car, and you’d build up your biceps to boot!
The interior is complete, but clearly needs attention. Splitting is evident in the seats and dashboard. Perhaps aggressively treating the seats with a leather conditioner could bring it back enough to restitch it? The car is also suffering from the saggy-headrest syndrome all Jaguars of this period seem to have. The wood trim is also said to have needs, although in the grand scheme of things, this looks fairly minimal. Notice the V12 badge just south of the shifter, to remind you you’re not driving an ordinary XJ6. People have successfully modified V12 E-types for 300ish horsepower – would you try the same and make a sleeper sedan of this one?
Rusty But Trusty 
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