The Jaguar XJS served as a starting point for a limited run of shooting brakes called Lynx Eventers, but the car you see in the photo above is a much more subtle hatchback conversion, one that Jaguar itself probably wishes it had thought of back in the day — especially given how well the XJS coupe lends itself to a spacious hatchback bodystyle.
This particular XJS is not the work of Lynx, but rather the brainchild of a former Jaguar employee who had been planning such a project for some time. The build was undertaken relatively recently, only 10 years ago. And now it’s for sale.
“Having worked for Jaguar since 1979, the owner and inspiration behind this coachbuilt XJS had been obsessed with the idea of creating a hatchback version since 1981,” the seller writes. “Taking inspiration from previous Jaguar coachbuilders — not least, Lynx with its gorgeous Eventer estate conversion — he spent decades planning how he would create the car you see here. Starting the project in 2008 with a clean, standard XJS AJ6 4.0-liter automatic with cloth upholstery and an impeccable history, he spent a further two years studying the car in the flesh to confirm that his plans were workable, safe and strong; his role as an homologation manager for Jaguar means he knows a thing or two about engineering safe and aesthetically pleasing vehicles …”
This conversion reportedly took just 58 hours to build, with the rear hatch built around an MGB rear window.
The owner and builder turned to a classic restoration specialist, James Sidwell Classic Cars, to perform some of the work after stripping the rear section of the car in preparation. The tailgate itself was made around an MGB GT rear glass, and the car required a custom stainless-steel fuel tank. The project also used the engineering drawings for the Lynx Eventer to assess the soundness of the design. A custom cargo section was created, and a high-positioned brake light was also incorporated into the rear hatch.
It’s easy to miss the fact that this XJS was then fitted with five-spoke XJR sedan wheels from the 1990s — which lend the car a sporty appearance — as well as oval exhaust pipes from the Celebration model.
“The load space was trimmed in the original carpet material and the rest of the boot, roof and rear passenger compartment followed,” the seller writes. “The false boot floor is fitted with a gas strut to help with raising such a large piece, a seemingly small piece of engineering that took an awful long time to calculate and install properly …”
The most impressive aspect of this conversion, as we see it, is that it reportedly took just 58 hours. The builder kept the 4.0-liter straight-six — no reason to burn more fuel with a V12 — as well as the automatic transmission.
The seller notes that a couple small issues exist: The badge from the steering wheel is missing, a couple of dashboard bulbs have burned out and the driver’s seatbelt buckle sometimes does not latch properly the first time.
The car is listed for sale in the U.K. with an asking price of 19,000 British pounds, which works out to about $26,300 at the current exchange rate.
Could this work be replicated for $26,300, assuming you had a clean XJS to start? That’s a tough call, but we have a feeling Jaguar itself is now wondering why it didn’t offer a hatch version of the long-running XJS. And a wagon, too.
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