Beschreibung:

Conceived as a comfortable and long-legged Grand Routier, 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 enjoyed only three former keepers and was acquired by the current owner in 1999. Maintained by marque specialists including R A Creamer Jaguar of Kensington, Elite Cars and Hollingdrake Jaguar, both of Stockport, Cheshire, the car benefits from major restoration works undertaken in 2004 at a cost of circa £12,000 and comes with a substantial file of well documented history. ‘F990 KGH’ is finished in red with black interior and presented in very good overall condition, a new hood having been fitted at some time. The car is offered with sundry restoration invoices, current MoT/road fund licence and Swansea V5 registration document.