Pre HE or HE ?

[Spen]

Hi,
I am seriously considering buying an XJS 5.3.
I have read the basics regarding the Pre HE and HE models... my main understanding being the HE has the Fireball heads that provide a little more mpg with fuel.
Upon looking at adverts, advertisers appear to make a big point of stating when a car is a Pre HE. With this in mind , are the Pre HE cars more desirable , better performing than the later HE models ?
I am guessing this subject has been covered before, forgive a me if I going over old ground, I am a novice on these issues.
Any information relating to this would be much appreciated, thank you in advance.
Spen.

[davidr]

Hi Spen and welcome to the XJS Forum.
As you will have read, the character of the car changed with the HE. Technically, the May heads and 2.88:1 differential made the car more economical and there were some important cosmetic changes too like more chrome and the introduction of veneer to the interior.
There's little doubt that the HE is a technically superior car but is it better? Not sure.
As you may have read, the XJ-S very nearly didn't survive into the 1980's due to poor perceived build quality, chronic thirst for 4 star amid a fuel crisis and general disappointment that it didn't follow in the spiritual footsteps of the E type.
The HE revisions changed all of that.
There are MANY more HE's that have survived than pre-HE's which make them relatively rare. Each has its charm.
Maybe you read the article we published late last year that contrasted a 1979 XJ-S and and Aston Martin V8 of the same year. Both these cars were owned by the same guy who also then drove my 1996 Celebration Convertible which showed him just how far the model changed in its lifetime.
Finding a pre-HE in good condition will be a challenge and it will command a price but I think they have their own charm and are certainly more distinctive than the HE by virtue of relative rarity.
But the HE is easier to find, technically superior and probably cheaper to buy.
Up to you really!!

[Spen]

Hi David,
thank you indeed for your reply.
Quite a lot to consider all in all, indeed I like both Pre HE and HE , both appear to have lots of good merits and your reply does indeed shed more light on the matter.
Quite a decision to make !
Spen

[ptjs1]

Spen,

David has spelt out well the key differences between an HE and pre-HE. I'm assuming from your post that you want a pre-facelift car, so I won't bother talking about facelift 5.3 cars which are naturally very different again.

In my humble opinion, the decision between HE and pre-HE is relatively easy because they are SO different.

One buys a pre-HE because you want the original XJS. No wood, a more basic car (albeit sophisticated and very well-equipped for the 70s), a purity of line (recognising the very divided opinions, then and now about the black rubber bumpers). And for some of us, a great throwback to the nostalgia of the time about this very expensive replacement of the E-Type - a Grand Tourer rather than a Sports car. As regards the performance, a late pre-HE with P-digital is probably the most powerful pre-facelift 5.3 XJS. Consumption? Pretty dreadful. Build Quality? 1970s Leyland-influenced Jaguar. Rarity of good surviving examples means that prices are racing up dramatically.

One buys an HE because you love the XJS but want a better-built, better-equipped car with better consumption and reliability. The design has been updated with more modern bumpers, wood veneer abounds and it's a nicer place to sit and drive. A much, much cheaper car to buy for the same condition. More car for the money, so many more to choose from, but won't appreciate anywhere near the rate of an early car.

If you just want the best quality car for your money, buy an HE. If the "original" is the only car that will do for you and you remember the enormous impact of seeing that advert in the Daily Express in 1975 (I do!!) then you just have to buy a red pre-HE quickly before they race out of reach. I did exactly that 3 weeks ago! (But then I do have a late facelift convertible as the best XJS made anyway!)

Good luck with whatever you decide. Any nice XJS is a great car to own.

Paul

[Spen]

Hi Paul,
many thanks indeed. If only I could have both lol !
Your message too is most helpful, indeed both are beautiful cars in their own right.
I welcome any more input from other enthusiasts regarding the Pre HE and HE, I am swayed to the 'pre' ... but then again.... !
Kind regards
Spen

[PaulGover]

Another aspect is that the pre-HE engines are tunable, and the racers love them. The fireball heads can't be tuned significantly, so you're stuck with a measly 280 bhp or so. (though if you want to go fast, fit a manual gearbox - they're reckoned to consume about 20% of the power).

Post HE cars come in many flavours; they all do MUCH better mpg (I believe pre-HE is something like 10-13; a properly-working HE is 19-21 on reasonable length journeys). Reliability increases with the post-Ford era cars, as does rust-resistance, as they started zinc plating the bodies by the facelift.

Early facelifts still had the 5.3 HE engine, and were electoplated zinc below the wasteline. Later ones have 6.0 litre engines, and more modern gearboxes (I think with a clutch to lock-up the torque converter in top, which should improve mpg). I think their bodywork was dipped in molten zinc, so you get better rust prevention.

[Spen]

Thanks Paul,
some interesting points on bodywork there and indeed performance too.
I guess in a way, I am not too fussed about going faster / tuning etc having spent most of my life around American Muscle cars with tuned up engines with high lift cams , big carbs and headers etc, still owning one and deciding to sell , moving on to a more refined car in the form of the XJS , a car I have always wanted since childhood... the minimum size engines I would go for is the 5.3 or the 6.0 litre in the XJS.

[franrca]

Any update on this Spen?

If you've done anything, hope you've gone for a pre-HE...they are rarer and cooler