Introduced in Autumn 1975, the XJS replaced the iconic E-Type, which by any measure was a tough act to follow. The modern design was by Malcolm Sayer, but after his death in 1970, it was completed by the in-house Jaguar design team, headed by Doug Thorpe. It was powered by the wonderfully smooth and powerful 5343cc V12 engine, and most were produced with automatic transmission as is this pre-HE example produced in 1977. The XJ-S (later changed to simply XJS), was a huge success for Jaguar having been produced from 1975 to 1996. The pre-HE cars are seen as more collectable and finding one in such original and wonderful order is a rare occurrence. In the mid seventies the owner of our car was spending time on business in London. Late one afternoon he was walking along Regent Street and saw a crowd outside the Jaguar dealership. They were looking at a new XJ-S. In its day it was quite a groundbreaking design and very quick grand tourer whose performance at the time, was very much on par with V12 Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s. He fell in love with the XJ-S, walked in and ordered one. The car was prepared and finally bought through the personal export scheme in August 1977. It was shipped to Australia (in Australian specification) in Signal Red with Biscuit leather interior – which it is still present in today. Numerous typed letters show the correspondence between the owner and Jaguar including the colour chart with ‘Signal Red’ still marked. We have never seen such a complete set of original documents with a car. All its owners’ books are there with original keys, purchase correspondence, original invoice and passport to service. This is a collectors dream car. The car has clearly led a cossetted life. It has always been garaged, and the owner informs us it has never been driven in the wet. The owner is now at an age where he rarely drives it and is now moving home so his much-loved Jaguar needs to find a new owner. The body of the car is extraordinary. It retains its original paint, and the owner informs us only the bumpers were repainted due to them dulling a little. There are only the smallest of blemishes on the body but that is being picky. The colour is still rich and there is only the smallest area of minor dulling on one guard, but a good paint correction would address that. The original Kent alloys are a real feature of these cars, and these are literally like new. New tyres have been recently fitted, and the car received a full service less than 100 kms ago including the fitment of new rear shock absorbers and brake pads. When you are inside this car it is hard to imagine it is almost 50 years old. The gauges are wonderful to look at and are like new, as is the steering wheel. Its thin rim is a welcome change to those you’d normally have in a modern car, and it feels rewarding to use when on the move. All the switch gear is like new as is the dash and shows no signs of any effects of sun damage or wear at all. The air-conditioning blows air but is not cold and we are informed needs re-gassing. The car had sheepskin covers fitted some years ago. These come with the car, and we have removed those from the front seats. Underneath the leather is dry and would benefit from cleaning and recolonising but is perfectly restorable. The carpets are a very seventies shade of brown and only show small signs of wear in the drivers footwell. The roof lining is unmarked. The boot is capacious and pristine. The engine bay has never been detailed however it is clean and very presentable showing all its original advisory stickers. Turn the key and the car starts instantly and settles into a wonderfully sonorous note. These V12 engines are known for their smooth delivery, and this does not fail to deliver. Out on the open road it is a delight to drive and moves through the gears perfectly. Even now these are capable touring cars with the ability to reach 100kph in just 7.9 seconds and continue well past the national speed limit. They are very capable and now being recognised for the wonderful cars they are. With perfect provenance and a wealth of original documents for anyone looking for a collector’s quality Jaguar this is a rare find.