Spur of the moment random marketplace purchase

[NorthernMonkey]

So.

Thursday night, having just got back from Wales, I was idly browsing Facebook when something on one of the enthusiasts group pages I’m subscribed to caught my eye.

Something in my favourite colour with the same engine size and spec as my trusty old RR but a bit lighter and two wheel drive.

It has engine issues but that’s not a concern for me as I have two complete engines sat under a cover in my unit.

Messages were exchanged, a deal agreed and after dropping Claire off at our local theatre where she was working yesterday lunchtime, I went and dusted the truck off for a little trip to London.

It was dark by the time I got there, meeting the seller in a random car park near Heathrow where there was an alarmingly suspicious number of tatty Transit beaver tails parked up with cars on the back.

Hey ho, fortune favours the brave (or stupid) so after a quick glance at the massive history folder and V5 with an address many miles away, funds were transferred and it was loaded onto the truck.

It wasn’t until I got home in the early hours that I realised I never actually did an HPi on it…this was carried out posthumously and luckily, everything was green (to match the car) other than a couple of plate changes in its past.

Which brings us to the million dollar question.

What could be interesting enough to make me drive back to where I spend enough of my working life on a rare weekend off?

The answer?

This.

 

[High Jetter]

You went all that way for a badge? 😃

[NorthernMonkey]

16 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

You went all that way for a badge? 😃

In my defence, it does have some fancy wheels and expensive looking brakes attached too…

[NorthernMonkey]

After a quick stop off at Beaconsfield services for coffee, it was foot down all the way back to Lancashire followed by a swift unload and home for a well earned beer.

 

Busy now for a couple of days but a flick through the history file reveals a full set of stamps up until 2022 some 2000 miles ago, along with invoices for many thousands of pounds, mainly at the main dealers.

The current state of it is it will run but has no compression on cylinder seven and is breathing very heavily indeed through the oil filler and dipstick tube, as well as lots of blue/grey smoke from the exhaust. Not necessarily connected directly but the supercharger bearings are shot too.

I actually have a complete and running 4.2 SC engine in the Copart Range Rover that I bought earlier in the year so I’m tempted to just swap the entire lump over but will probably pull the head off to investigate first as I suspect it’s probably burnt out a valve.

Other than that, it’s all pretty much there. There’s a full set of 20” alloys with nearly new Dunlop tyres, Brembo callipers all round and a very clean tan interior to complement the paintwork which is in itself very good. Hopefully, a few evenings swapping bits over should result in a very presentable XJR to smoke around in for a while. It’s a late 2005 model to boot so sensible tax to offset the ridiculous fuel consumption.

I’ll keep you posted…

[Split_Pin]

Owning a recovery trucks and spare Jaguar engines under the bench are always going to end like this 😅 Lovely!

[Lord Sterling]

Jags....

[High Jetter]

3 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

Jags....

OK, Mr  2 Jags, no need to show off! 😀