Project Numero Uno
Jaguar xj-s project
Our newly acquired Jaguar XJ-S is now being prepared for the first "Monzanna style" modification. Inspired by our interest in classic car racing, we aim to bring a more modern attitude to appreciating and desired classics. All changes will be reversible to protect its future value. The Monzanna story starts here!
About Monzanna
About Us
Creating "Class"
Creating "Class"
Inspired by classic racing - I started Monzanna as I wanted to apply my own styling brand to classics Lets see where this takes us!
Creating "Class"
Creating "Class"
Creating "Class"
Monzanna - A vision to take great classics and make them stand out in their own right!
Project Numero uno - The Jaguar XJS V12 (1991)
The History of XJS
First unveiled in 1975, the XJ-S received its 300bhp V12 engine ten years later, a milestone that marked the point at which the XJ-S started to go as well as it looked. Of course, the resulting fuel consumption can be a challenge but you can forgive almost anything – even single-digit mpg under hard acceleration - when a car sounds and goes like an XJ-S V12.
And it does sound and go very well indeed: no-one balanced ride and handling better at the end of the twentieth century than Jaguar and contemporary road tests frequently named the V12 XJ-S coupe as the most refined car in the world in, regularly trumping Rolls-Royce and the Mercedes S-Class in the ubiquitous ‘Best Car In The World’ feature beloved of car magazines from a time when the public was happy to pay to read about cars on actual paper rather than expecting it all to be free and online.
The XJS lost its hyphen as part of the 1991 refresh, work that only minimally changed the car’s good looks. It also gained a revised version of the AJ6 engine plus a few more ccs and bhp on the V12. Outboard rear disc brakes too, plus a new gearbox for the V12 in 1992, 2+2 seating for the convertible, sleeker bumpers, and XJ40-style instruments inside.
For all the tweaks, evolution rather than revolution was the name of the game and why not? After all the Jaguar XJS was, by then, one of the few cars to have attained genuine classic car status while it was still in production, leading to many buying them with an eye to hanging on to it as an investment. This is important, as it provides a rich source of low-mileage, carefully conserved cars such as the one you’re looking at here.
Our XJS project car
First registered on the 29th of August 1991 and finished in Solent Blue over cream leather, this wonderfully decadent Jaguar XJS V12 featured a comprehensive service and repair history.
Running beautifully and rated as "class" , the car was sourced with its previous owner (active Jaguar enthusiast) having cherished it for the best part of two decades. This car has covered just a handful of "car show" miles in last 10years ". This is a fabulous and ideal Monzanna project car.
What will it become?????
We will keep you up to date with progress and nearer the time we will publish details of the unveiling here. Hope you like it.
Photo Gallery
More About the car - excellent foundation
On The Outside
The metallic Solent Blue coachwork, complete with the correct silver and red pinstripes down the side, looks great . The whole car reeks of authenticity and careful curation.
The shutlines, for example, are excellent. The flanks are free of ripples and the doors, boot and bonnet all open and close with authority. The Jaguar ‘leaper’ is present - a nod to day gone by, and the rest of the chrome work gleams impressively.
In fact, the whole car shines beautifully in the springtime sunshine and the dark blue hue and overall condition gives it a timeless elegance that means you could take it anywhere without feeling the slightest bit outclassed.
The subtle front spoiler is in great shape, as is the slightly more obvious rear one.
The 15-inch, cross-spoke alloy wheels are free of kerbing and other damage too, and they’re also shod with recent and matching Pirelli P600 tyres.
On The Inside
The cream leather seats are only lightly patinated. With just gentle creasing to their faces, the underlying structure is still as supportive and comfortable as ever. The rear seats are, of course, in an even better condition but given that they’re all but useless for full-size adults, that’s not a surprise, is it?
The rest of the interior is as gorgeous as only a Jaguar’s can be; while the traditional wood ‘n’ leather look is so well-trodden these days as to be something of a cliché, interiors like this remind you why everyone ended up doing it.
It’s all in great shape too, with good chrome controls and shiny, damage-free wooden veneer. The headlining is taut and clean, and the door cards are excellent. Heck, lifting the carpets reveals not only solid, rust-free floors but also that the factory fitted foam is still there in between the strengthening ridges in the floor: the previous long-term owner was a proud member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club and the care he lavished on it during his 19 years with the XJS is apparent.
The boot is as good as the rest of the interior. Neatly presented and home to the matching alloy wheel and Pirelli P600 tyre, lifting the very good carpets shows only well-painted metalwork and no rust.
final product
