1984 Jaguar XJ-S HE - today's tempter

By: Guy Allen, Unique Cars mag

Date: 16.03.2023

1984 Jaguar XJ-S HE - today's tempter

1984 Jaguar XJ-S HE - today's tempter

1984 Jaguar XJ-S HE - today's tempter

1984 Jaguar XJ-S HE - today's tempter

V12 classic

With the last E-types rolling off the production line in 1974, Jaguar's then new hero GT coupe – the XJ-S – had a lot to live up to. The styling of the new-gen car was both bold and controversial during its 1975 launch and has been the source of endless discussion ever since.

History has worked in the car's favour and it has gained traction in recent years as a desirable classic.

According to the Cliff Chambers feature on the series: "Time has, if anything, been kind to the XJ-S. Where the E-Type now looks a bit of a museum piece, those bold sweeps, planes and arcs of the XJ-S that so alienated the motoring press have aged well."

It's worth remembering the car was in fact a success, despite the jaw-dropping pricing, selling over 115,000 units across its 20-plus-year production run. That of course included several variants, with six- and 12-cylinder powerplants.

For the purist, a V12 is most representative of the original intention of the series.

This example is an HE (high efficiency), which means it's running a 5.3lt development of the V12. That's paired with a three-speed automatic transmission.

According to the seller this is an Australian-delivered car which has been used and comes with a very good history file covering its three owners to date. 

It's with Oldtimer in Brisbane and is on the market for $44,950.

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