1988 Jaguar XJ12 Sovereign

“ Considered the best car in the world in its day and the V12 is still awesome. ”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.

BackgroundThe ‘Fireball’ era was something of a Golden Age for Jaguar and Daimler saloons: the achingly gorgeous ‘eXperimental Jaguar’ range was finally starting to benefit from a few years of production line expertise, helping ease some of the earlier cars’ wrinkles and proving that a properly sorted – for ‘properly sorted’ read ‘properly built’ because the integrity of the engineering had never been in doubt – Jaguar was a force to be reckoned with.

And if the Jaguar XJ/Daimler Sovereign was to steal the title of The Best Car in The World from the Germans it needed a better-than-average engine propelling it; while the straight sixes were a fine choice if halfway-decent fuel consumption was your goal, the magnificent 5.3-litre V12 was the engine you really wanted under that perfectly proportioned bonnet.

The Series I and II cars were fitted with the 5,343 SOHC V12 engine, while the later cars from 1981 onwards received the high-compression Fireball cylinder head, at which point the V12 developed 299bhp alongside much better torque and slightly better fuel efficiency than the earlier cars.

(Although, when we say that it was more fuel efficient you don’t need us to tell you that in the case of any V12-engined car, everything is relative…)

And, despite an aging chassis and interior – and a constant battle to meet ever-more stringent emissions regulations – the press and public continued to love ‘em, even into the late 1990s.

As Autocar & Motor magazine wrote in 1991, ‘there’s still something about the Jaguar – its innate restraint, good taste and grace – that the others lack entirely. It’s a beautiful car and for some, that will always be enough.’

CAR magazine, always arbiters of good taste, simply called them “the best car in the world”.

Mission accomplished.

OverviewAs a successful racing driver, the seller insists that everything in his classic car collection must be on-the-button, making him the perfect man to own a car like this – and we think it’s safe to assume he’s smitten with ‘E785 HPK’ given he’s invested more than £34,000 in the five years he’s owned it.

And that enormous investment shows because while most would accept that the Jaguar XJ12 was probably the most civilised and refined cars of its era, the same cannot always be said of them today.

This one though, is every bit as lovely to look at, sit in, and drive as it ever has been: With just 28,000 miles on the odometer, it is running flawlessly, something its long run of advisory-free MoT passes attests to.

As pragmatic as he is fastidious, he also appreciates the need to use a car regularly – and given he also got a Jaguar XJS and a 420G in his collection, he’s found he doesn’t have the time to drive this one as regularly as it deserves.

As we write this advert, we see that 32 of you have already expressed an interest in it, a number that’s sure to rise as others discover it charms, so if you’re considering placing a bid, why not follow it to make sure you don’t miss out?

Estimate: £12,000 - £15,000

View Current Bid Price HERE