The eighties were a very special era. The world economy experienced a period of boom and bubble, there was a true cultural and musical revolution, and the ghosts and shadows of the Cold War were beginning to dissipate. In this atmosphere of optimism and excess, works of art with wheels were born, such as the car that we present to you today. It’s about a Lister XJS HE Convertiblea Jaguar XJS Cabriolet transformed by British tuner Lister into a high-flying sports beast, thanks in large part to a new 7.0-litre V12 engine.
Excess in its purest form, which, obviously, we love. The history of this car, which is now sold by the British dealer Nicholas Mee & Company, for £125,000. A price much higher than the usual price for a Jaguar XJS Cabriolet, no matter how much V12 it has under the hood. But there are several factors that come together in its current price. The first is that this car is not just an XJS. In 1987 he was sent to the Lister facility, with the aim of transforming it into a completely different car.
Lister has manufacturer status, it’s not just a tuner – it’s a similar case to Mercedes-AMG or Alpina. At the beginning of the year it received the muscular body kit with widened wheel arches, 17-inch deep throat wheels, sports suspension kit, grunt-sounding exhaust and aesthetic details such as headlights or unique emblems. Later, in the same year 1987, Lister installed in this convertible a five-speed manual gearboxa high-performance Getrag.
The rear tires have a section of 335 mm. They are gigantic, even when mounted on 17-inch wheels.
Later, already in 1989, Lister carried out an extensive mechanical transformation on this car, which literally took it to another level of performance. The XJS went from the hard rock of Def Leppard to the heavy metal of Iron Maiden. The transformation consisted of a deep modification of the 5.3 V12 engine of origin of the Jaguar XJS. As standard, this engine is a lazy domestic cat with just 277 horsepower. However, Lister completely modified him, transforming him into a feral jungle cat. A wolf in wolf’s clothing.
Its displacement increased to 7.0 liters, and a multitude of internal mechanical components were modified. The result was 503 horsepower and 691 Nm of torque., measured on a power bank. In 2012 the car was purchased by a loyal customer of the company that currently sells it, and it was decided to practice a complete mechanical and aesthetic restoration. For this, KWE Ltd. was used, one of the best specialists in the United Kingdom in these Jaguar XJS. The car was disassembled to the chassis, it was repainted, and all its oxides were repaired.
In its restoration, the braking and cooling system of the luxurious cabriolet was made reliable and updated.
The engine was completely overhauled, and incidentally, they took the opportunity to install a less restrictive exhaust system and a new electronic control unit, releasing an additional 60 HP of power. The steering and suspension were upgraded with 21st century components, and a reinforced clutch to better withstand the increase in power. The car was repainted in the sinister gloss black it currently boasts, and the interior was reupholstered in dark gray, having originally been a somewhat old-fashioned cream colour.
The result is obvious to the eye. It is a spectacular and statuesque sports cabriolet, sinister and threatening, and with the power to scare much more modern cars. A car that represents the excess of the eighties in all its splendor, and that could well have been driven by the names of Axl Rose, Nikki Six or Bruce Dickinson. Have we already told you that we love it?
