Picked up an 89 Jaguar XJS Hess & Eisenhardt edition, got a nice shift kit for the gm 400 trans (I'd way perfer stick tho) and some exhaust work.

very fun, will burn out in drive from a dead stop and the v-12 growl is far superior to i-4 whine.

burns gas like fighter jet on full burner tho...

Hess & Eisenhardt XJS offered through dealers starting in 1986. The Hess & Eisenhardt coachbuilding firm was located in Ohio and built approximately 2100 of these cars under contract from Jaguar before the official Jaguar built XJS convertible appeared in 1988 to be offered as a 1989 model. The Hess & Eisenhardt convertible differed from the later Jaguar convertible XJS as its unpadded top folded down deeper into the body structure of the car resulting in a cleaner rear profile when the roof was lowered. In order to accommodate this design element, the Hess & Eisenhardt convertibles have two separate fuel tanks, positioned to allow for the roof to fully retract. The process of converting the stock Jaguar XJS Coupe into the H&E Convertible included the post-production removal of the roof, cutting the body in several sections, the addition of steel reinforcements behind the driver's seat, and 20 lb (9.1 kg) weights placed just behind the headlights to eliminate harmonic resonance caused by the significant modifications to the car. H&E XJS convertibles are easily identified by the lower folding top, as well as two small badges located just behind the front wheels. The later Jaguar full convertible had a heavier padded top that did not fold into as small of a bundle when in the lowered position, but retained nearly all of the original components of the Coupe. The true number of H&E Jaguar XJSes produced varies, due in part to a fire at the Hess & Eisenhardt factory that destroyed most of the records pertaining to the Jaguar XJS conversions.

it forgets to mention that there are knobs under the hood for setting more go power/less go for gas saving, something the other jag 12's lacked....i of course leave it turned for most go...

I'm not too sure of its history.got it from a jag mechanic, was his personal car. has alot more stomp then any jag i've owned before or driven...more then the 35hp figure in handbook would suggest...I suspect he has done engine mods....not that I mind! fastest and most comfy ride I've owned, and the best mix of speed/lux I've ever seen...I'm very happy.

Pics ?

when I get around to it.

PICS OR BAN!

hahahhaa


I wonder if they used the dual tanks from an XJ6 Vanden Plas?


Friend of mine picked up a '70 E-Type in april. It's only had four electrical fires since he got it - really not that bad, considering. That car would be a better conversation starter with a girl than a St. Bernard with a tragic limp.

i never liked the Jags.
ANY Jags.
i think that those cars are an acquired taste that I never got.

Posted by Samurai i never liked the Jags. ANY Jags. i think that those cars are an acquired taste that I never got.

I happen to agree. I drove a Jaguar once and it just felt like a British Lexus...

I just like the V-12 really....

and nothing else I can afford with a V-12

Posted by rz350 I just like the V-12 really.... and nothing else I can afford with a V-12

i wasn't trying to take away from your ride at all. It's very unique and pretty sweet, it's just nothing that yours truly ever had an interest in.

hope that didn't sound condescending...

nope, we all got our own tastes and likes and stuff. I was just tossing it up to see if anyone had encountered one and could offer any advice on them.

be prepared to spend a fortune in repairs

Posted by Nismo be prepared to spend a fortune in repairs

i've heard that about anything British.

Posted by Samurai i've heard that about anything British.

The Mini I understand is pretty simple for repairs, but yeah your right. Land Rover now I think the WORSE of all of them because it seems like in the cars other than the Defender, they follow the old school British engineering train of thought of "lets make it complicated for no bloody reason!" Rolls Royce kind of used to be that way but then they got tit slapped when they went bankrupt.

I've worked on a few XJ12s, XJ6s and E-Types... I found them to be pretty much conventional, aside from the odd quirk like rear discs mounted on the differential end of the axles instead of the hubs.

Posted by Nismo be prepared to spend a fortune in repairs

I am familiar with the 5.3 12, I know what I'm getting into.

Posted by Agent Skelly The Mini I understand is pretty simple for repairs, but yeah your right. Land Rover now I think the WORSE of all of them because it seems like in the cars other than the Defender, they follow the old school British engineering train of thought of "lets make it complicated for no bloody reason!" Rolls Royce kind of used to be that way but then they got tit slapped when they went bankrupt.

Mini is BMW now, its german.

Still no pics ? Fail !

As an old wrench from way back, I remember Lucas Electric being refered to as the prince off darkness. Haven't heard it in years however. Think I'll revive it.

click to view

Prince of Darkness, lol, and the bottled smoke. What's that joke: Why do the British drink warm beer? Because they have Lucas refrigerators.

Jags are very smooth and comfortable, the original Mini was a brilliant design, one of the best and most original ever.

The BMW 2002 is an excellent design and well made car. I believe it was the first sports sedan, or good handling car with actual room inside. The Volvos of the same era were like farm equipment. The 320 was a remake, next gen, whatever, but lost something. The bigger Beemers, Bavaria, 528, and up, I think are much more expensive to fix. Jags are of course expensive too. Drop in a Chev 350 if things get hard to find or expensive.

Posted by A. Lien Drop in a Chev 350 if things get hard to find or expensive.

no no no... LS1.