1977 Jaguar XJC-R Restomod 'Emma'

Please note the proceeds from this lot will go to the RNLI.

Iconic Auctioneers are delighted to support this very interesting charity lot with the proceeds going to the RNLI. The build was a project completed by renowned Jaguar specialists Tom Lenthall Ltd and is now being auctioned in commemoration of Tom’s friend, Emma, who passed away in 2023 from cancer. Affectionately known as ‘Emma, the XJC-R’, this bespoke build has been subject to much media coverage and Jaguar publications over the last year. Various YouTube channels including Drivetribe have featured the XJC-R and has formed a well documented account of this fascinating project and Emma’s story.

Basically, the brief from Tom to his technicians was to build a Jaguar XJC Coupé with a nod to modernity, a supercharged engine and modern Jaguar running gear all smoothly blended into the elegant bodywork of Jaguar's 1970s pillarless saloon. With over 400 hours of respected Jaguar knowhow invested in this, to use a modern expression, re-imagined XJ-C, the result is something very special.

The original 1977 Coupé had covered less than 100,000 miles and was already a sound example having benefitted from a restoration in the 1990s. It was a great basis to turn this 1970s icon into the refinement of a 1990s Jaguar, starting with the removal of the original 4.2-litre six and its replacement by an AJ16S supercharged six-cylinder offering 322bhp and 378lb/ft mated to a Getrag 290 5-speed manual gearbox. All subframes and suspension are from the mid-1990s X300 XJ with Brembo brakes from the X100 XJR. Other improvements include an Emerald K6 Plus ECU running the fuel-injection and bespoke exhaust system by Fast Road Conversions, with the engine now generating in the region of 370bhp. The full build inventory is too vast to list here but is well documented in the history file and obviously the ten YouTube episodes of 'Jaguar XJC Restomod' will provide lots of answers.

In driving terms, this beautiful Coupé is obviously a vast improvement over its heavier 4.2 and V12 stablemates and may well be the way forward in offering the XJ-C, undoubtedly Jaguar's best looking post-war saloon, an extended lease of life.

As mentioned before, all proceeds will benefit the RNLI and we cannot think of a more magnanimous gesture by a valued client.