1990 Jaguar XJR-S. June 06

Call it a Grand Tourer if you feel generous, call it other things if you don't. Hardly anyone loved the styling upon its release, although later in life it had certainly improved and also, perhaps, we had started to forget the E-type and accept the XJ-S in its own right. In retrospect it looks far less dated today than some of its comtemporaries.

Actually, driving an XJ-S was never a chore, with adequate, rather lush power and an extremely comfortable ride. Really, a very nice two door sedan. If you had an early model, it was a case of BYO fuel bowser, but other than that there was a lot of pleasure to be had from touring in an XJ-S. But, of course, there were those out there who lusted after a sporting, not a touring Jaguar. Tom Walkinsaw, he of TWR/HRT/HSV fame, had the answer.

From 1984 there was the TWR XJ-S. Tweaks to the suspension and steering stiffened the car up which made for a big step forward in handling and grip. Simultaneously, TWR were running a very successful race program for Jaguar (including winning at the Le Mans 24 hour) so it came as little surprise when a formal joint venture, JaguarSport, was announced in 1988. This was a 50:50 joint partnership with Big Tom as the MD.

The 1988 Le Mans winning car was called an XJR-9 so it seemed sensible to profit from that name and the "tweaked" car now became the XJR-S.

First up, there were no changes to the engine and the car was essentially a TWR XJ-S with colour coded bumpers and a rear spoiler. But 12 months later the company had developed the 6.0 litre engine that is featured in our test car. Actually, Jaguar had been messing about with larger capacity versions of the 5.3 litre V12 for years, but nothing was ever taken to fruition. Big Tom isn't like that and within a year he had the 6.0 litre in and running.

Thanks to a longer throw crank stroke, new fuel injection and a more efficient exhaust system, engine output was up 20% and the performance of the car was significatly improved.

New 16" x 8" wheels helped even further in the grip department and visually toughened the look of the car no end.
About the only disappointment was the carry over of the 3 speed GM 400 gearbox. In these days of 5, 6 or even 7 speed autos, it does nothing for the sports car feel, although to be fair there is so much grunt available that any more than 3 speeds are probably redundant anyway.

The JaguarSport crew also dropped in a posh new leather interior, a rear spoiler and the usual badges, bells and whistles to justify the not insignificant extra cost over a standard XJ-S.

About the only non-standard thing we picked in the test car was a wood-rim steering wheel, which might have come from the later 1995 "Commemorative Edition", or it may be just straight aftermarket. Everything else on the car looks pretty much as it left the factory.

This car does not seem to have been restored so there are small signs of wear here and there, but overall it is in nice condition. The vehicle spent its first years in Japan so there is no continuous service history available, but it has just had a full service at a specialist Jaguar centre in Melbourne. The paint work is Alpine Green (a blood brother to BRG) and the interior is Magnolia with green piping.

This car excels on the open road. Oodles of performance, nicely tight steering thanks to TWR and sublime comfort thanks to Jaguar. There's room in the back for a couple of fairly big little 'uns and the boot will hold enough Louis Vuitton luggage for a transcontinental journey.

Alternative buys might include an SLC or SL Mercedes or maybe a BMW 635. Neither quite has that Jaguar feel of leather and wood and a night out at the local pub.
Trevor West

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & HOW MUCH
Model:Jaguar XJR-S
Year:1990
Dealer:Brooklands Classic Cars
18 - 20 George Street,
Sandringham, VIC 3191
Ph: (03) 9533 4477

Price:$33,950

0-100 kph:Around 6 seconds
Best point:An XJS with zing
Worst point:Still an XJS
Recommendation:Offers great value for money
Trivia:XJ-S or XJS? Well, it was the former until 1991 when they decided the hyphen was a 'yesterday' kind of thing.