Hey all,

XK8 owner here, looking to pick up an XJS. Heard that the XJSC is the rarest, next to the H&E conversions from the late 80s. Been shopping and came across this:

Jaguar XJS XJS C | eBay

Apparently 1 of 20 XJSC 3.6L imported by Jag to the US to test the market. What are your thoughts? I haven't done much research on the 6 cyl. And the 5 speed? I know nothing about that. Any opinions on this car beyond whats in the buyer's guide, which I've read? Thanks for any and all input

 

This is a rare car. Beauty($$$) is in the eye of the beholder. A 6 cylinder 5 speed would be easy enough to maintain, if this is what you are looking for

 

I wouldn't pay $17k for it, but maybe $14k. I'm guessing the 6 must be easier to work on than the 12, but whats the parts market like for this drive train in the US?

 

The same *engine* was used in scads of XJ40s so availability of basic engine stuff should be the same as for the XJ40s...however good or bad that is these days. I dunno.

I suspect anything specifically related to the manual transmission might be hard to find. I've never researched it, though, so I'm talking out of my hat.

Cheers
DD

 

That is a rare car in the US. My understanding is that there were 24 of these 3.6L 5 speed cars brought into the US for marketing purposes. The cars were driven by Jaguar executives but were never available for sale in the US. They often had a number of unique features as they were used as test mules.

Last year I had the occasion to fling one around a slalom course. It was a coupe model and had some interesting mods to the engine including developmental high lift cams installed by the factory. The 3.6L is a sweet engine and a willing performer. It revs faster than my 4.0L but does not have quite the same low end punch.

The gearbox is the older Getrag 265 unit. A decent box but the old 3 plane shift design makes shift quality a bit notchy and nowhere near as good as the later 290 box. I would think that you would still be able to get most of the important spares like a clutch and master/slave cylinders without to much issue but they may have to be sourced from the UK as I doubt any one here will stock them.

Hard to say in terms of value. Although I think that most of the Jags on Ebay are well overpriced, the rareness, originality, history, low mileage and condition of this car may find a willing taker at 17K.

 

Thanks for your insight guys. As much as the rarity attracts me, I'm thinking it's probably not the right choice for me. I also don't have 17k to spend. I'm really looking for a solid driver's car and It sounds like the 5 speed might not provide the best driving experience. So maybe a regular XJSC? Still a really nice example for someone.

 

There is a couple of nice looking H & E convertibles going on flebay.......

 

I perhaps stated things wrongly. I was just comparing the shift quality of the 265 box with the later 290 box. Having any 5 speed in the Jag completely transforms the driving experience and driving character of the car. It becomes a much more sporty ride but is still very adept at eating up the miles in comfort on the motorway If that floats your boat then 5 speed is the way to go

I would take one over an H&E any day!!

 

If I were in the market for another XJS I would want to go after that 3.6 XJSC.

 

Hmm... Maybe a trip to California is in order then. And even not taking rarity into account, it looks to be one of the most well documented examples currently for sale.