Lot 356: Jaguar XJ-S V12 Coupe

With E-Type sales falling and an outright ban on convertibles looming in its most important export market  the USA  Jaguar addressed the problem of defining its successor as the 1960s drew to a close. Code named 'XJ27', the car that would evolve into the XJ-S was styled by Malcolm Sayer, the man responsible for the E-Type, under the fatherly eye of Jaguar boss, Sir William Lyons. 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 at the 1976 Frankfurt Motor Show as a V12-powered coupé, with six-cylinder and soft-top versions following in the 1980s, the expected ban on open cars having failed to materialise. One of the most important developments in the evolution of the V12-powered XJ-S was the introduction of the HE (High Efficiency) engine in 1981. Incorporating a new design of cylinder head, this more fuel-efficient unit enabled the top-of-the-range XJ-S to meet tighter worldwide emissions legislation. The XJ-S in its many versions would go on to become Jaguar's best-selling sports car ever, well in excess of 115,000 being made up the time production ceased in April 1996. This V12-engined XJ-S Coupé has had only one owner and comes with its original service booklet and numerous bills and expired MoT certificates. An automatic transmission model finished in grey with cream leather interior, the car is described as in generally good condition and offered with the aforementioned service history, MoT to December 2009 and Swansea V5 registration document.