Say No To Swap: 1987 Jaguar XJS V12
The Jaguar V12 engine was launched in 1971 for the E-Type road car, but the design was originally created for the mad XJ13 LeMans racer. A few years later, the engine was stuffed into the Malcolm Sayer/Doug Thorpe designed XJS, which is/was a beautiful car from any angle…except from the window at the head mechanic’s office of your local Jag repair shop. These things are expensive and fiddly to keep on the road, but someone has to stop the Chebby V8 swappers from getting their hands on it. Plus, how often does a car come with “couple crates of parts”? Find this 1987 Jaguar XJS V12 offered for $1750 in Glendale, CA via craigslist.
From the seller:
1987 jaguar xj12
condition: good
cylinders: 12 cylinders
fuel: gas
odometer: 65450
paint color: blue
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: coupe
1987 Jaguar XJ12. Has a V12 in it.
Non op. No late fees
Bought it off a friend to get it running but never got around to it. Need it gone by Sunday 3/13.
Have a couple crates of parts to go with the car.
See a better way drive something groovy? tips@dailyturismo.com
Best, most cost-effective use for this car:
Buy it for $1500. Wax it and make it look real purty outside. Detail the interior.
Roll it into the backyard, pointing at a nice view, and get the radio working (or better yet, put a bluetooth boombox in the passenger wheel well).
Get in, adjust the seat, play some fave tunes, grab the steering wheel, and go “VRRRROOOM! VRRRROOOOM! VRRRRROOOOOOOM!!!”
Relive the days of your childhood, when you dreamt about driving one of those swanky Jag You Ares. Or Jag Wahrs. (depending on where you’re from)
-Stan (the ever-so-respectable, upper-crusty Stan…in his 7-year-old James Bondy dreams)
If you want to go down a rabbit hole on the XJ-S design this is a good one
https://driventowrite.com/2014/05/08/1975-jaguar-xjs-design-history-malcolm-sayer-bob-knight/#more-45104
What would it take to simplify these engines? Carbs, modern ignition, eliminate everything else and register in a place without smog checks? (Those places exist, many a dirt cheap CARB restricted Weber fed Alfa Spiders found their happy place with me)
I’d love to hear a free breathing Jag V12.
Seems like it would not be difficult technically to put together a mega squirt retrofit kit for some of these old cars that would have vastly better emissions than they originally had. If there was some way to get such a thing CARB certified it would make a dandy business.
I am forced to accept that so many people love the design of this car and it just doesn’t work for me. Now if you made it a fastback……