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	Car Details
	Model: Cabriolet     Body Colour: Arctic Blue     Interior Colour: Isis Blue       Year: 1988       Engine Size: 5.3       Built By: Jaguar       Owned Since: 2006       Located: Seattle      Washington      United States
This 1988 XJ-SC has been in my life since 2006 when I bought it as my first car and drove it to high school. It cost me $4500 (my life's savings at the time) and had an engine fire a few months after I purchased it (likely from a dried out fuel line). That prompted me to learn how to work on it and I'm not sure if I own this Jag or it owns me. Just like a real cat! This Jaguar is currently apart in my garage, which is its natural state. During my ownership I've redone the interior with mild custom touches, replaced the rear main seal on the V12 (doesn't leak oil!), replaced the fabric top, fitted new wheels, modified the suspension and I'm currently waist-deep in body work, cutting out rust and doing some subtle period correct enhancements. I also have a 5 speed manual transmission kit sitting in my workshop waiting to be installed. The photos here are from the last time I drove the car a few years ago. I'll be sure to update this album when it's back on the road. Though, I'm in no rush. I've learned to enjoy working on this car just as much as I enjoy driving it.

History of the car

Build Year : 1988

This XJ-SC has had many owners before me but I've owned it the longest. It's rumored this Jag changed hands at one point as a result of a poker game. At least that's what the lady who sold it to me in 2006 said. She kept the car under a pile of boxes in her suburban New York garage. The bar was very low, but I believe I've managed to take better care of this car than most of its owners. I moved from New York and took the car with me to Washington State. My Jag is currently sitting in my workshop, patiently waiting for me to go out there and fix it.

Modifications
So far this XJ-SC has received a custom exhaust, custom intakes, custom interior, BBS wheels and custom suspension. I have more modifications in the works with the aim of keeping the car mostly period correct and tasteful. I fitted my XJ-SC with BBS "Style 5" wheels. They are real BBS 2-piece wheels styled to look like the BBS-RS that were so popular in the 1980s (and I'm pretty sure the OEM Jaguar "lattice" wheels are designed to emulate) but upsized to 17 inches. The "Style 5" was offered as OEM equipment on certain BMW 5 series sedans (E39?) and the bolt pattern and center-bore are correct for a Jaguar hub. I really like the way they look and I had several people at this car show comment about how great they look on the car. The 17 inch size also allows for purchasing a much wider range of tires than the stock 15 inch wheels. The car is lowered several inches. I fitted a custom cantilever coil-over setup made by a speed shop in Portland Oregon and I'm still working out the bugs. It will likely need custom radius arms, modified bump-stops and/or notched frame to get it all worked out. But I love the way it looks!
Wheels and Ride Height			Custom Intakes for V12    I designed these intakes for my V12 years ago and I'm still pretty happy with them. Astute observers will note they don't have a cold-air source so performance gains are minimal. But, combined with a large-bore exhaust, these intakes transformed the sound of my car. Not the wild howl of a TWR XJS at Bathurst, but certainly a little more aggressive than stock. I'm looking forward to installing a 5 speed manual transmission to hear what rev-match downshifts will sound like!
		My dad does auto upholstery for a living and his seamstress sewed these seat covers. They are made from the correct shade of Connolly leather but the piping has been replaced by a French seam. I've seen a lot of Jaguars with wavy piping as a result of the leather shrinking over time. These won't do that. I also made custom translucent sun visors based on ones I saw in a 1950s Aston Martin, fitted a Wilton Wool headliner and replaced all the carpet, re-skined the door panels ext. Since this photo was taken I have also refinished the Nardi steering wheel with several new coats of lacquer.

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