www.jec.org.uk

Hi everyone. Well, I've finally fulfilled a long-held ambition and got myself an XJR which I think might have a bit of history attached to it.

M585 CRW appears to have been one of the x300 launch cars and the one tested by Autocar in November 1994. Back then it was an auto but at some point in its life its been converted to a manual. Overall she seems in good order but with a few bits and bobs to keep me busy!

If anybody knows anything more about this car I'd love to hear from you.

yep, known this car for years, very early vin, 80 if I remember correctly, originally an auto, converted to manual sometime back, the 3BJ in the vin is the giveaway and also last time I saw the car it still had the original service book that stated XJR 4.0 S/C AUTO

best get a Jaguar Heritage trace on it, this will give you a build date, but I would hazard a guess that it will be between 12 and 18 May 1994, reason being, if my memory is right on the vin, then 720077, M588 CRW was built on 12th May and 720098, M589 CRW was built on 18th May 1994, these two cars are both pre production manual XJR's, yours will be a pre production Auto, not the first built as I know of at least on L reg auto XJR 300 built

You may also find that it has a very early body number when you get the trace back, my own 1994 XJR 300 manual M64 FVC, appears to have used the 4th 300 body shell built, although the vin is higher at 405, still a mid 1994 assembly though

all these early cars would have been built as "pilot build" cars on the XJ40 line which did not stop production until the summer shutdown in July 1994, over the shutdown the XJ40 track was changed to accomodate 300 build on resumption of work after the Coventry Holiday fortnight, these first cars would have been launch stock, if we look at any parts listing for X300 we see X300 vins start at 720125, were as in fact the first car built was 72001, so we have at least 124 preproduction cars, the earliest car I have a record of is 720006 (December1993), a manual XJR and the earliest survivor I can pinpoint is 720077 again a manual XJR

here's one Mr J Clarkson in 1994, driving M588 CRW, faulty sound, (can anyone find a clip with good sound??)but this is the clip where he makes two of his well known statements for the first time "it goes like a stabbed rat" and "I would gladly drive this car to John O Groats, just so I could drive it back", well having done the latter in one of mine, I can vouch for the former statement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAMlhWYLqBU


ENJOY your manual XJR, they are astonishing machines, and for what you paid for it such much bang for your buck,

Rob