My 1988 xj 12 (black) has stainless wheel arch trim that appears to be original to the car .... sorry I don't have a picture at present... some others that I have seen pictures of seem to have the same trim.. can someone tell me whether this was an optional accessory at time of purchase... ?? Thanks

Aftermarket, non-Jaguar accessory.....but a fairly popular one. Watch out for rust underneath!

Cheers
DD

Yes, I checked and it seems fine. It appears that they were added some considerable time ago.

As Doug says, watch out for rust ! These were popular in the UK too in the 70s and 80s, as it was a quick and easy way to disguise rusty wheel arches, especially the rear ones. Front wings are bolt on, so not so much of a problem, you just replace the wings, but the rears are a cut and weld-in job, (and if you do the job properly, lead-load not filler before painting).

They seem ok, perhaps due to the benign climate and no salting on the roads here, I felt all around each and they seem fine the only rust I have noticed anywhere is on the bottom sill of one of the rear windows...oh and there's a dent in the roof where a barn roof fell in on the car in a gale !!