The wood trim in my XJ12 is walnut that instead of the light wood inlay, is black. I assume that black inlay is rosewood.

Most of the Vanden Plas and XJ12(X305 not XJ81) I've seen with wood inlay have the light inlay (boxwood?), and I've never seen black inlay before. But then again, I'm just getting introduced to the XJ40, so my experience is very limited

Is the black inlay standard and unique to all or some XJ12, or was just a general XJ or XJ12 option that most didn't choose, or....?

And is the dark inlay rosewood?

Hi kidleston,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us.

If your inlay appears black, it is probably Gabon ebony. Rosewood is typically dark brown to red with distinct darker and lighter color variations, and because its patterns look best when larger areas are visible, it is not commonly used for thin strip inlays.

When you get a chance, please visit the New Member Area - Intro a MUST and post an introduction so we can learn something about you and your Jaguar and give you a proper welcome.

Cheers,

Don

That wood looks very nice, I'd like to see pictures of the whole car. XJ12s are very cool and pretty rare. Good luck with your new car.

I think that black inlay is rare. I don't recall seeing it anywhere recently. I don't think it was an advertised option, but maybe it was a bespoke request for a buyer who ordered a car to get all the specific things he wanted. Or maybe the wood shop produced a limited amount as a marketing test. It would be interesting to know the whole story.