2005 Jaguar XJR V8 S/C Auto
“ A rare thing with less than 17k miles on the clock & two former keepers. ”
Being offered as part of our curated auction in conjunction with the Jaguar Drivers' Club and their 70th Anniversary at Brooklands on Sunday 12th July 2026.

Background
In 2003, Jaguar introduced the re-engineered and newly designed third generation of the XJ, designated internally as the X350. 

It had an all-aluminium body and chassis, a 3.0-litre V6 engine, and new 3.5 and 4.2-litre V8 engines. It was the first Jaguar XJ to be completely designed under Ford ownership (which soon became Tata ownership) and introduced an array of new electronics and computer-controlled systems. 

A new, lighter, six-speed automatic gearbox was fitted, offering improved economy and a wider spectrum of gear ratios.

The X350's aluminum bodyshell used an aerospace construction method; a hybrid of adhesive bonding and rivet joinery known as rivet-bonding or riv-bonding. 

An industry first in volume automotive production, this technique resulted in a monocoque chassis that was both 40% lighter and 50% stiffer than that of the outgoing model. The styling of its aluminium body panels was an evolution of the classic XJ look and marked the final (and much missed) expression of that signature aesthetic. 

Fitted with a multi-link, four-wheel computer-controlled adaptive air suspension, the X350 handled as well as it rode. So well in fact that Jaguar developed an XJR version – and while the previous version had featured a 326bhp supercharged straight-six, the new model had a 395bhp supercharged 4.2-litre V8 under the bonnet.

Thus empowered, the X350 XJR’s blistering performance soon became the stuff of legend and a best-kept-secret nod and wink between those in the know.

Well, the secret is well and truly out today and these hugely capable cars are, quite rightly, much sought-after by those who remain firmly in the market for the ultimate Q-car of its era. 

Overview
We like a Jaguar XJR, we really do.

Across all of its various model iterations, there was really nothing else like it on the road.

To the untutored eye, it looked pretty much like a normal, run-of-the-mill XJ; that’s to say it looked sleek, elegant, classy and possessed of all the grace, space and pace that Sir William Lyons originally intended for his firm’s flagship saloon. 

But to the cognoscenti, those who’d spotted the mesh grille and the discreet badging, there were reliable tell-tale signs that the car was something altogether different from the standard fare. 

The XJR wasn’t just a bit quicker than it’s normally-aspirated stablemates, it was usually quite a lot quicker than virtually anything else on the road that wasn’t made in Modena or Zuffenhausen.

It was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and you could choose which to unleash with the merest twitch of your right ankle.

That’s why we like a Jaguar XJR.

And here’s why we particularly like this one.

This 2005 X305 XJR is in absolutely time-warp condition, has had just two previous owners from new, and has a mere 16,681 miles on the odometer.

That’s an annual average of just 794 miles.

We’ve got pairs of socks that have covered more ground than that.

We’re struggling to imagine how you could get your hands on a better one without breaking into the JLR museum in the dead of night and releasing one of their prized exhibits from its hermetically sealed display case.

The car is in first-class condition, inside and out, and it really can’t be faulted dynamically, mechanically or aesthetically.

We have driven this car and can attest to its exceptional levels of quality and preservation. 

We can also confirm that it has lost absolutely none of its ability to start, go, stop and, most memorably, hurtle towards distant horizons like a nervous cheetah at a fireworks display.

Even today, a properly fettled and sorted X350 XJR has got enough visceral grunt under the bonnet to leave many ‘sportscars’ in a wheezing heap of embarrassment.

And this one, in case you hadn’t noticed, is properly fettled and sorted.

Estimate: £23,000 - £28,000

View Current Bid Price HERE