Last updated on September 5, 2021
Today’s car is a 1990 Jaguar XJS Convertible done in Signal Red with a Tan top. Ron drives over in the morning, then loads his grand children into the family van and takes his grand children to school. The Jaguar is powered by a V12, 5.3L producing 318 HP. The transmission is 3/4-Speed ZF Automatic. Ron is just teasing us with this Jag and promises to show us his 1965 XKE. There is a little clear coat problem around the license plate that is easily fixed. This is a very nice car.
Something I learned while researching Ron’s Jag. From 1986 to 1988, a full convertible version was not available through Jaguar. The Hess & Eisenhardt coachbuilding built convertible modifications for the XJ-S under contract from Jaguar before the official Jaguar-built XJ-S full convertible became available in 1988. The Hess & Eisenhardt convertible differed from the later Jaguar-built XJS convertible as its un-padded top folded down deeper into the body structure of the car resulting in a cleaner rear profile when the roof was lowered. To accommodate this design element, the Hess & Eisenhardt convertibles have two separate fuel tanks, positioned to allow for the roof to fully retract. H&E XJS convertibles are easily identified by the lower folding top, as well as two small badges located just behind the front wheels (see last 2 photos). Thanks for riding along. Frank
