1989 JAGUAR XJ-S V12
Despite his stable of exotica, this V12 convertible will always be the apple of its owner’s eye. Used year-round with the roof always down – and still in mint condition
‘Ihave always enjoyed longdistance road trips; I’ve been to Tuscany many times and have also driven throughout France, Spain, Montenegro, Bosnia and extensively around Croatia where I have a house. So I initially purchased a Jaguar XJ-S V12 Coupé, which had the reputation of being a mileage-eater. And so it proved – I would drive from London to Brettenham Park, near Ipswich, every Saturday to have lunch with my sons who were at school there. Then, when my eldest son went to Rugby School, after driving to Brettenham Park for lunch I would drive on to Rugby for an early dinner and then drive all the way back to London. A true mileage-eater indeed and a fine and very underrated motor car.
‘The Coupé had a manual gear box that I enjoyed using even though the car had a pretty heavy clutch. But after a few years I was still hankering after a convertible, hoping that would be even better!
‘So I sold the XJ-S Coupé in March 1989 and I bought my first ever brand-new car – an XJ-S V12 convertible – and I fell in love with it straightaway. I was determined keep it forever and have never been tempted to part with this Jaguar despite buying Bentleys and Rolls-royces in the intervening years. Over the last 32 years the XJ-S and I have travelled 46,000 miles together. It is serviced regularly and in beautiful original condition and still runs really well.
‘I just love open-air motoring and I have driven this car to Wales, Scotland, France and Belgium. I enjoy driving it in classic car runs but I also use the car – not daily but certainly every month – throughout the whole year. It’s very practical and I always drive it with the roof down even in winter… just so long as it is not raining! An interesting observation in relation to convertibles is that girlfriends are always happy to have the roof down but I have discovered that wives are not because apparently ‘it spoils their hair’!
‘One December I drove to Scotland on a hunting trip; the XJ-S V12 convertible roof was down of course, despite the outside temperature being just below freezing. The motorway was clear but the surrounding farmland was completely covered in snow. I put the heated seat on and was as warm as toast thanks to my winter hunting clothes and Russian-style fur hat. Driving a convertible makes you more aware and the wind in your face makes you more alert. Although on this occasion I wasn’t alert enough as I did ‘momentarily’ exceed the speed limit and paid the price for it… but the police officer said that he was very impressed with my “hardiness”!
‘My most recent new car is a Bentley Mulsanne Speed, which I purchased three years ago, and although not a convertible it is definitely also a “keeper”. It is an amazing car and I enjoy driving it… it’s so fast for a car weighing approaching three tonnes and the flexibility of the venerable 6.75-litre V8 engine is outstanding. It is obviously a big beast so it is not a good idea to take it down the small roads of the Surrey Hills or to some of the cities of Italy.
‘This year I shall be driving in the summer to the Baltic Coast of Germany but I will use the Jaguar XJ-S for that!’
ENGINE 5344CC/V12/DOHC POWER 274bhp@5250rpm TORQUE 291lb ft@2800rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 148mph 0-60MPH 8.5sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 17-20mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, three-speed automatic