1993 Jaguar XJ40

This is a 1993 Jaguar Sovereign 4.0 (air bag model) with the AJ16 engine and ZF 4-Speed auto gearbox. 

It has covered just 28,000 miles from new, a figure verified by the accompanying Japanese certification. 

The car is ‘Brooklands Green’ with ‘Parchment’ hide and has had one owner from new.

It has its original square headlamps, 15" alloy wheels fitted with new tyres, front fog lamps, headlamp jet wash, chrome window frames, twin coachlines rear fog lamps, full leather interior, lambswool over-rugs, rear screen blinds, auto air con, cruise control, electric seats with memory, multi-CD changer, electric door mirrors, trip computer, switchable ‘Sport’ gearbox, new headliner, full-size spare wheel….and a Jaguar tool kit.  

It is as close to showroom-fresh as any 30-year-old can have a right to be and has never been sullied by cigarette smoke, pets or children as far as anyone can tell.

It also drives superbly - starting, moving and stopping with all the power, elegance, reliability and class built into it by the good engineers and crafts-people of Browns Lane.

We have known the vendor for several years and can testify to the repeated success of his Japanophilic Jaguar import business model. 

People really look after their cars properly in Japan, and all the more so if the cars in question are expensive prestige imports such as a Jaguar, Bentley or Rolls-Royce.

This splendid vehicle comes from a country where people invariably take pride in their cars and usually spend a great deal of time and effort cossetting them and making sure no harm comes to them. 

Japan is also a country where salt is thrown over the shoulders of sumo wrestlers, not chucked all over the roads in industrial quantities like it is in the UK. 

Consequently, Japanese imports almost always have panels and undersides with less corrosion than their British counterparts. 

That’s very much the case here. 

We’ve not seen any corrosion anywhere.

And we really wouldn’t expect to.

The bodywork is untroubled by any dinks or dents of significance and the glossy green paintwork is really very decent pretty much everywhere you choose to rest your gaze.

The shut lines and gaps are impressively crisp, consistent and even. 

The trim, badging, lights, lenses and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in fine fettle.

The 15” wheels seem wholly unacquainted with kerbs or other hazards and, being new, the tyres have a great deal of life left in them.

Basically, the car’s condition is extraordinary even for its very low mileage, let alone its age.

There are a few light swirly scratches (of the sort you might pick up at a car wash) on the boot lid, bonnet and on top of the n/s/f wing.

We’re pretty sure they’d capitulate without much of a fight if threatened with a decent polishing machine and a competent operative. 

Oh, and we spotted one small paint chip on the bonnet.

That’s it. Everything else is minty fresh and squeaky clean.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the inside is every bit as impressive as its exterior counterpart.

This car must have an ageing portrait of itself hidden in an attic somewhere.

The leather upholstery is barely troubled by any creases worthy of the name and looks to be decades away from earning any meaningful patina. 

The seats, front and back, are as comfortable, supportive and functional as you’d like. 

The carpets and mats are fine, as are the door cards and headlining. 

It even has its rear screen blinds in situ.

The wood veneers on the dashboard, door cappings and centre console are fine, save for a short crack by the lower left-hand corner of the radio unit and a couple of spots of missing lacquer on the centre console ashtray cover.

We didn’t flick every switch, press every button or twiddle every knob, but those we did flick, press and twiddle responded faithfully to our instructions.

As far as we can tell, everything, even the often recalcitrant XJ40 trip computer, still works as intended.

The boot, which contains a spare wheel, multi-CD changer and a Jaguar toolkit, is following the same time-warp script.

The struts for the boot lid will need re-gassing.

The engine bay is in equally fine fettle, with everything spectacularly clean, tidy and in its right and proper place.

We’d give it 5 stars on a food hygiene scale, never mind a mechanic’s report.

The car’s undersides look to have all the structural integrity we’d come to expect of cherished Japanese imports.

The car comes with a clear HPI check, a current V5, a full set of keys, and an MoT certificate that’s valid until 19.7.24.

It also comes with various bits of Japanese certification/documentation and, although we’d be the first to admit that our grasp of the language is somewhat rudimentary, we can see the odometer reading recorded in kilometres.

If you’re looking for the best, low-mileage XJ40 out there, we respectfully suggest that you stop looking.

Unless you want to source your next car from a motor museum or find one with delivery miles that’s spent its whole life in a private collection, this car is almost certainly your best option.  

It’s really quite hard to imagine how it could be any better.

We are happy to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £8,000 - £12,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.