Cargolex
Notorious: 1986 Jaguar XJS
A puzzling sight, no doubt. It looks a bit worse for wear having been in a junkyard for a month or two, but judging from what remained, when this car came in it was a perfectly clean XJS V12, with not one spec of rust, a complete and turning V12, *and* euro-spec lights, which are somewhat rare in the United States.
Just why somebody would throw a car like that away (once it goes into the yard, it can't come out as anything but parts) is anybody's guess. Most likely, it had some expensive problem somewhere invisible that ultimately claimed it. But if it had been running, all it would've needed was wash to be show-worthy.
Irrespective of how it ended up where it was, somebody had stupidly smashed the headlights *after* it had arrived in the yard - odd given that the headlights could've been easily hawked for a profit on eBay. The rest of the trim had been recently removed to parts unknown, along with the seats and the back axle. Not one part had been removed from the V12.
By 1986 the XJS was a decade old,but it was still a fresh and competitive car thanks to a refresh in 1982 and being relatively contemporary with rivals like the BMW 6-series. As a successor to the E-type, the XJS never quite measured up to its predecessor in the public's imagination, but it was still a car to crave even if it was a boulevardier. It was bigger and heavier than its rivals, but it also had the Jaguar badge and cachet. It was a very expensive car - $40,000 in 1986, just a bit cheaper than the rival 635CSi and Merc 560SL.
The complexity of the V12 and the hot conditions of the XJS' engine bay meant that service was costly and some items prone to premature wear - a situation exacerbated by some owners' tendency to skimp on service. The car was also fairly rust prone, though by 1986 the tendency towards corrosion had been greatly reduced. Early cars tended to have more maladies, which saddled the XJS permanently with a reputation for unreliability it only partly deserved. XJS' are still relatively common in the United States, even though the newest cars are now 20 years old.
Sadly, this one won't be joining them on the road again.
©2016 A. Kwanten
Notorious: 1986 Jaguar XJS
A puzzling sight, no doubt. It looks a bit worse for wear having been in a junkyard for a month or two, but judging from what remained, when this car came in it was a perfectly clean XJS V12, with not one spec of rust, a complete and turning V12, *and* euro-spec lights, which are somewhat rare in the United States.
Just why somebody would throw a car like that away (once it goes into the yard, it can't come out as anything but parts) is anybody's guess. Most likely, it had some expensive problem somewhere invisible that ultimately claimed it. But if it had been running, all it would've needed was wash to be show-worthy.
Irrespective of how it ended up where it was, somebody had stupidly smashed the headlights *after* it had arrived in the yard - odd given that the headlights could've been easily hawked for a profit on eBay. The rest of the trim had been recently removed to parts unknown, along with the seats and the back axle. Not one part had been removed from the V12.
By 1986 the XJS was a decade old,but it was still a fresh and competitive car thanks to a refresh in 1982 and being relatively contemporary with rivals like the BMW 6-series. As a successor to the E-type, the XJS never quite measured up to its predecessor in the public's imagination, but it was still a car to crave even if it was a boulevardier. It was bigger and heavier than its rivals, but it also had the Jaguar badge and cachet. It was a very expensive car - $40,000 in 1986, just a bit cheaper than the rival 635CSi and Merc 560SL.
The complexity of the V12 and the hot conditions of the XJS' engine bay meant that service was costly and some items prone to premature wear - a situation exacerbated by some owners' tendency to skimp on service. The car was also fairly rust prone, though by 1986 the tendency towards corrosion had been greatly reduced. Early cars tended to have more maladies, which saddled the XJS permanently with a reputation for unreliability it only partly deserved. XJS' are still relatively common in the United States, even though the newest cars are now 20 years old.
Sadly, this one won't be joining them on the road again.
©2016 A. Kwanten