1988 Jaguar XJS-C Cabriolet Luxury Car, Hard and Soft Tops, 35,334 Miles!

1988 Jaguar XJS C Cabriolet Description

Jaguar XJSC Cabriolet 1988 - 35,334 miles - manufactured and sold in 1988, 2-door convertible body type, RWD (rear-wheel drive), Automatic transmission.

If you never had the opportunity to drive a V12-powered automobile, you probably cannot conceive what you've been missing. A V-12 has 50% more cylinders than your father's Oldsmobile or your neighbor's Mercedes S500. Accordingly wide is the power band, even more convincing the legendary, turbine-like smoothness of this incredible engine. The special High Compression May cylinder heads assist in producing around 262 hp to effortlessly cope with any traffic situation.

Plain and simple, the XJS-C was the most elegant luxury car of its generation.Note Jaguar wheels with like-new MICHELIN radials.

The new plus ultra in versatility, the XJSC can be configured as a Landaulet convertible, a Targa, or a Coupe. Additionally, the rear folding soft top can be replaced by a fixed roof panel (Not shown but I have) with heated glass window.

- Doeskin leather- 5.3 liter V12- Automatic Transmission- Very low production, only 3883 cars produced- Power steering, brakes, windows- Factory air conditioning- Very rare Cabriolet model with the hardtop and soft top as well as covers- Rear hardtop and T-top panels can be installed during the cooler season to create a weather-tight Coupe.

Engine has slight oil leak which is being looked at.

===================================================The Strange Journey of the Jaguar XJ/SC. Yes, it Exists. And I think it's Collectible. . .Posted on May 19, 2015 by CBI in English, Future Collectible, guest contributorWallace Wyss

1by Wallace Wyss

We will have to go back in time to see just how this oddball car came about. It's a Jaguar XJS, made into a semi-convertible by Jaguar purely as a stopgap effort. Here's why it came about. When Jaguar designed the XJS they designed it as a coupe, figuring new laws against convertibles would make it impossible to pass otherwise. They were wrong. But by the time they discovered that little tidbit of pertinent information they didn't have the resources to make a convertible design fast enough themselves so they turned to Hess & Eisenhart to convert them. Or maybe H &E did it on their own.

A stopgap was to make the XJ/SC which required a cross brace hoop over the cabin to effectively replace the roof structure, a 'perimeter frame' round the cockpit, a slightly reinforced rear bulkhead, and a bracing frame across the bodyshell under the rear suspension. With all this being done, no crash tests were required. The rear seats were deleted though, replaced by a package shelf.

Ironically the result was an open car more rigid than the coupe. It was premiered in the UK in 1983 with the AJ6 engine and a 5 speed manual and later in 1985 the XJ/SC was available with the V12. The model went away when Jaguar got around to making a full ragtop in 1988 and the XJ/SC was discontinued. They are rarer in the six cylinder model, with only 1130 6 cylinder were made, the majority of which,1027,had manual gearboxes. Dominating them was 3862 V12 cars, all automatics.

SONY DSC

One clue that they are becoming collectable is that there is a club for owners called the International Cabriolet Register.

A site called JagLovers.org says: "If you are looking for an open car, it maybe a little hard to decide between the Cabriolet, the H&E convertible or the later convertibles. Despite its Targa bar and fixed rear windows, the Cabriolet certainly has its charms starting the various configurations one can choose: fully open, rear convertible open or close, each Targa panel on or off. US buyers face another decision when it comes to the 'true' convertible between the H&E with its unpadded top but lower profile when open or the Jaguar built version with the more luxurious padded top but sticking out when folded down."

I'm saying, as a guy in constant search of barn finds, that the XJ/SC is one to watch and consider buying as an appreciating collectible car. True the roof panels are hard to find as is the rear convertible top but the rarity is what makes cars worth more. And I personally wouldn't mind the six as I am well aware of the V12's tendency to catch fire when certain fuel lines become brittle. To find a XJ/SC with a manual would be even better but I doubt they were imported to the U.S. with manuals though some Jag expert may prove me wrong.

I am a big fan of the Laundaulet body style, such as last seen on a 2012 Maybach in a car that cost over a million dollars. Now it's too bad Jag took the rear seats out but if one of these were my car, I'd have a rear seat made and install seat belts and let some lucky people (tiny people to be sure) ride back there open top Laundaulet style. I really think this, of all the XJS models, is the one that's going to go up in value quickest because it's such an unusual body style.

THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is the author of the "Incredible Barn Finds" series available from Enthusiast Books, Hudson, WI.

For sale and located in Bartlett, Illinois 60103

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