2008 Jaguar S Type
“ Imported from Japan in 2023, this low-owner (ULEZ compliant) has done very few miles. ”
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
Sir William Lyons presented the smooth Jaguar Mark 2 in 1959, a high-performance four-door sports saloon powered by the famous XK DOHC Six. 

In 1963, the Mark 2 was updated to become the S-Type, with independent rear suspension, even smoother bodywork, sharper steering and improved ergonomics. 

Weighing only 3500 lbs., with four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes and 220bhp from the 3.8-litre engine, the S-Type could gracefully race from 0 to 60mph in under 10 seconds on its way to a then very impressive 125mph. 

And it was, of course, the design and, some might say, performance inspiration for the more recent S-Type, introduced to the world at the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show.

‘Performance?’, we hear you quibble, and not unreasonably. 

Well, yes.

The Jaguar S-Type was once the fastest production saloon car in the world. 

No, really.

The 4.2-litre supercharged version of 2002 was said to be faster under acceleration than a BMW M5 and even the legendary Lotus Carlton thanks to a mighty 390bhp and 399lb/ft of torque.

Mercy.

First released in 1999, the S-Type was one of the offspring from Jaguar’s marriage to Ford and, while the S-Type’s silhouette might have divided opinion, there was nothing wrong with the underlying Ford/Jaguar DEW platform, which was a decent chassis, and one that gave the RWD car the wherewithal to handle up to at least 400bhp.

It also came fully equipped with Jaguar’s trademark ride and handling qualities, which have rarely been less than exemplary across the marque’s rich and storied history.

Considered at the time to be a bit too aesthetically retrospective, anodyne and dull in its styling, the merits of what was actually a very good car are now being reappraised and, we believe, its reputation is in a deservedly upward trajectory.

Overview
This car is in excellent condition and starts, goes, performs and handles every bit as well as it looks – and it looks great.

We know this car - we have auctioned it before.

It came to us then through a vendor who is very well-known to us and has built a successful niche business on the back of his expert understanding of the Japanese Jaguar market and his ability to select and import only the very best examples. 

So, this car was one of his Japanese imports, and arrived in this country in 2023. 

The car’s Japanese back-story tells us two things. 

Firstly, that it has spent its life immersed in a culture where people tend to take pride in their cars and usually spend a great deal of time and effort pampering them and making sure no harm comes to them. 

Secondly, that it comes from a country where salt is thrown over the shoulders of sumo wrestlers, not chucked all over the roads in industrial quantities like it is in the UK. 

Ergo, Japanese cars are nearly always free of the sort of corrosion issues that routinely affect cars in the UK and elsewhere.

It may be something of a cliché to talk about the value of ‘honour’ in Japanese society and culture. But it’s no exaggeration to say that this tradition is sufficiently embedded that it even extends to the Japanese motor trade, where there is no place for Trotter-san or Daley-san. 

This is a world in which mechanics are assiduously diligent in their work, dealers are scrupulously honest in their valuations, and owners take obsessive levels of pride in the care and attention they lavish upon their expensive European cars.

Ah…just imagine.

Moving on.

All of which good news goes a long way to explaining the excellent aesthetic, dynamic and mechanical condition of this car.

Of course, the other element that’s clearly played a role in keeping it so well-preserved is the fact that it’s only showing 56,000 miles on the odometer and has evidently been very well looked-after and diligently curated since arriving on these shores.

Estimate: £5,000 - £8,000

View Current Bid Price HERE