1994 Jaguar XJS Convertible 'Celebration'

The Jaguar XJS was launched on 10 September 1975 as the replacement for the much-loved E-Type. The development of the car had begun in the late 1960s as project XJ27, with an initial design by Malcolm Sayer, but after his death in 1970, it was completed by the in-house Jaguar design team, headed by Doug Thorpe. Power came from the Jaguar V12 initially with a choice of a manual or automatic transmission, but the manual was soon dropped as they were left over from V12 E-Type production and they ran out of stock. The level of equipment in the XJ-S compared well with similar specification Italian cars and they were reasonably quick with 0-60 in 7.6 seconds (automatic) and a top speed of 143 mph. April 1994 saw the introduction of the 4.0-litre AJ6 engine which soon became the 4.0-litre AJ16 with coil-on-plug ignition. In 1995, the final specification changed again (for what turned out to be the last time) and these final cars were marketed as the 'Celebration' model to celebrate the 60th year of the Jaguar company. Celebration cars feature diamond turned wheels, Jaguar embossed seats and a wooden steering wheel.This particular Celebration model is presented in a stunning triple-black combination and oozes style with grace. Sought after at the time, they have turned out to be one of the most collectable of all the XJS iterations.This XJS has been dry stored over in the States and has recently been shipped to Belgium to be part of a private collection, however with over 100 cars in this current batch of purchases, the vendor has decided to let this one go as he rationalises his collection. The sumptuous seats show little signs of wear indicating that the XJS's four previous owners have taken care of it over the years and with 66,000 miles showing it appears not to have travelled too far.Having been re-commissioned in recent times, this end of the line, stylish big Jaguar is once again ready to be enjoyed.