Lyon’s End: 1986 Jaguar XJS V-12 HE
The XJS is no XKE. Now you might think that is a shot but it isn’t entirely. The XJS is the last of the Lyon’s Era Jaguars. Introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1975, the XJS received a tepid response. Subsequently, sales of the new Jaguar during its lifespan were erratic. But that was not totally the fault of the XJS and more so fuel shortages and an erratic economy. Sound familiar? We think the sweet spot for the XJS is the mid to late ‘80s. Mostly because of an engineer by the name of Michael May. He designed a new, high compression head with a fireball combustion chamber that increased power and fuel economy. Now throw in a redesigned dash with burl wood, updated bumpers and mirrors and you have resurgence in sales. The V12 is a wonderful engine and can be very reliable if given attention and proper care. Primarily you need to keep it cool. If you do, it will reward you with Chevrolet levels of reliability. And that takes us to this XJS. You know by now, we like original cars with extensive documentation. This one has it all. It has been in one family since new and has always been a California fair weather driver. It sports original paint in a silvery sand color with tan leather interior, also original. The custom wire wheels may impress some potential buyers. The seller states it is in excellent health with the only fault being a sagging headliner. The XJS has 52,xxx documented miles and we believe represents a good buy at $8,500. See it here on the Jaguar Club website.