1997 Jaguar XK8 Convertible

*** UPDATE: This car has now been sold for £10,000 all inclusive ***

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The Jaguar XK8 is a two door grand tourer launched by Jaguar Cars in 1996, and was the first generation of a new XK series. The XK8 was available in three-door hatchback coupé or two-door convertible body styles with a new 4.0-litre Jaguar AJ-V8 engine. In 1998, the XKR was introduced with a supercharged version of the engine. In 2003, the engines were replaced by the new 4.2-litre AJ34 engines in both the normally aspirated and supercharged variations. The first-generation of the XK series shares its Jaguar XJS-derived platform with the Aston Martin DB7.

Between 1996 and 2005, Jaguar built 90,064 cars as follows:
– 19,748 XK8 coupé
– 46,760 XK8 convertible
– 9,661 XKR coupé
– 13,895 XKR convertible

This gorgeous Jaguar XK8 is owned by Mark for just over two years and has built a beautiful car collection of over fifteen cars with the help of his brother-in-law; Rob Carrigan. Mark loves the thrill of buying the best examples he can, once added to his collection he then enjoys driving them when he’s in the country. Mark really does only buy the best-of-the-best examples, and we are very fortunate to be handling the sale of his collection.

So why is Mark now selling his collection? Well, Mark is based overseas and these days he doesn’t get the opportunity to drive his collection as much as he’d like, as more recently his business opportunities are keeping him abroad, so the time has come to pass the cars to new custodians.

Rob looks after the collection for Mark and no expense has been spared in the maintenance of the vehicles. Rob makes sure that whatever the cars need is actioned straight away using specialist garages and original parts. Even the finest indoor covers have been purposely made for each individual car at a cost of over £300 each, and are included in the sale. Every car is securely stored in a new and dry professional unit, as can be seen in our media footage.

This XK8 looks stunning in Carnival Red. Please review the images and videos to see the condition of the exterior – if you have any questions then please drop them in the comments sections below.

Wheels & Tyres
The car is fitted with original alloy wheels with 245/45/18 on the front and 255/45/18 on the rear – the tyres are in good condition with plenty of tread.

Bodywork
The bodywork is very good on this car with no visible signs of rust on the exterior. The wheel arches are in exceptional condition as they can be prone to rust. The lower section of the rear wings can also suffer from rust and rot. Importantly this has been attended to in the past with Southern Classics. Mark spent over £3,000 on bodywork in September 2016 that included attending to rust on the lower part of the NS rear wing. Please see the invoices for more details of the maintenance carried out on this car.

Paint
The red coachwork (Carnival Red) is in very good condition. The work carried out by Southern Classics is of a very high order and looks great in the winter sun during our consignment visit. The rear boot has been re-sprayed at some point in the past – please see the images and videos.

Glass and Trim
The glass is in good condition throughout. The trim is also in good condition with the exception of some bubbling on the aluminium window seals – this is common with the XK8 and can be easily remedied.

The interior is in good condition as can be seen in the videos and images and certainly seems to show wear in line with the low mileage.

Seats and Carpets
The seats are in good condition and so too are the carpets and mats.

Dashboard
The gauges, dashboard top and interior are in excellent condition.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick
Both are in excellent condition in line with the age of the car with no issues. The previous owner replaced the steering wheel as there was a very light chip on the original one. The original wheel is included in the sale and there’s a picture in the media pack below.

I personally drove the car on a short trip of about 5 miles and it performed faultlessly.

Engine and Gearbox
The car started first go from cold – there was no smoke and the oil pressure quickly climbed to normal. I didn’t notice any blue smoke on either during cold or hot start, or when driving. Importantly there is a £3,600 invoice in 2010 from Basingstoke Jaguar for new timing belts and tensioners together with suspension work.

Suspension and Brakes
No issues noted – suspension bushes were replaced in 2010.

The Drive
The car performed with no issues. Gear selection was perfect and changed smoothly up to 60mph. The car kept straight under acceleration, during cruising and when braking. There were no knocks or rattles, even over a rougher back road surface.

Electrics and Other
No issues were noted with all the lights going out correctly after the car started. Electronics are important on these cars and Rob kept a battery conditioner connected when not in use.

This is a very well maintained and low mileage XK8 as can be seen in the invoices file, e.g. over £7k has been spent in the last eight years on engine and suspension work. The car spent time in the Isle of Man and is usual for cars to benefit from lower mileage. Unfortunately the service history book has been lost, however, there is a large invoice file and previous MOT’s that help substantiate the mileage.

HPi Check Results
– HPi check in progress – assumed clear.

Previous MOT’s
– 17.03.2018 / 27,702 miles
– 31.01.2017 / 27,692 miles
– 01.02.2016 / 26,272 miles
– 14.01.2015 / 25,490 miles
– 15.01.2014 / 21,769 miles
– 21.01.2013 / 20,137 miles
– 10.01.2012 / 18,543 miles
– 20.01.2011 / 16,632 miles
– 05.02.2010 / 15,457 miles
– 20.10.2009 / 14,275 miles

There’s no doubt about it, the XK8 is a future classic in the making. I personally own a coupe version and love the car. They are a very reliable and usable classic that can even be used a daily driver.

There are a lot of examples on the market but finding a well cared for and low mileage one can be a bit tricky. It’s sometimes worth paying that bit more for an excellent example that can save you a lot of money in the future.

ADAM PURRIER
This auction listing was written by Adam from information gained from Mark (owner and seller of the vehicle) and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

If you have any specific questions about the vehicle then please use the comments section below. I will receive a notification and will reply as soon as he can. I may need to check answers with Mark as he won’t be able to reply himself.