Best Jag Ever? 1995 Jaguar XJR
I think it was in the second season of the Grand Tour in Episode 6 (Jaaaaaaaags) when Jeremy Clarkson drives a Jaguar XJR and calls it “cool without being cool Britannia, it’s caddish without being laddish, it’s violent without being vicious, and it is just the last word in sophistication. Hannibal Lector had one, and I think that says it all because the last we saw of him, he was on a plane, scot-free, eating a district attorney’s head.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Find this 1995 Jaguar XJR offered for $5,500 in Blue Earth, MN via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
From the seller:
1995 jaguar xjr supercharged
condition: good
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 152000
paint color: red
size: full-size
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: sedan
California car clean no rust. new alternator, rebuilt harmonic dampener with high temp rubber, new headliner, rebuilt sub woofer plus ebay oem tweeter. Needs rear wheel bearings. Great winter project, I have to many already.
See a better way to drive red? tips@dailyturismo.com
Same powertrain as the recent Aston Martin feature for a ton less coin.
rebuilt sub woofer: first for me. I agree with cc.
So what makes this the best Jag ever? I like the body work on some of the older XJs better. Does the drive train of this vintage make up for that? Dare I question the relative reliability of various Jag vintages? Is this the last of the pre Fordified Jags?
From the Motortrend review back when it was new:
Second Opinion
The XJR is an expansion upon established themes. The seats are better bolstered, but they’re still Jag seats. The supercharger produces a subdued and exhilarating whine, but the engine pulls like a more powerful Jag six, not a V-8. The exterior is still sleek and classy, only now sportier and better. Still, the chrome trim around the windows should be brushed stainless steel; that would herald the car’s performance without undermining its elegance.
With a 14.9-second elapsed time in the quarter mile, the XJR is the second-fastest Ford product sold in America (the Mustang Cobra SVT does the deed in 14.8). There’s also plenty of grip from the massive Pirellis with great initial turn-in. But the steering is relatively vague, and at 4215 pounds, the XJR is heavier than even an Chevrolet Impala SS. That weight betrays the car on romps over mountain passes as the nose dives into understeer, especially under braking.
Compared to something like the dearly departed, barely disguised BMW M5, the XJR seems like a living room on wheels. But it’s a seductively, yet tastefully, appointed living room that does almost 65 mph through the slalom. And isn’t that just what a living room should do?-John Pearley Huffman