Lot 238 - 1985 Lister Jaguar XJ-S Cabriolet (7.0 Litre)

• Believed to be the only Mk. III Cabriolet produced
• Extensive restoration costing in excess of £103,000
• Sizeable history file detailing the restoration
• From a significant private collection

Lister is one of the most renowned names in sports car racing history and the Lister Jaguar, designed by Brian Lister, swept almost all before it during its first full racing season in 1957. From the early 1980s the name has also graced some of the world's fastest road cars and in 1989, with the culmination of six years of development work, the Lister Le Mans arrived on the supercar scene. Christened 'Le Mans' to celebrate Jaguar's success there in the late 80's, the Lister totally transformed its Jaguar XJ-S base into a mega powerful 200mph supercar. It featured a 7.0 litre version of Jaguar's V12 engine, comprehensively re-worked to cope with its now 500 or so horsepower maximum output. A similar torque figure ensured stupendous acceleration in any gear. Needless to say, the suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres were uprated to cope, while a purposeful looking body kit ensured that the car remained stable at high speeds. In performance terms the Mk. III was in equally exalted company, its claimed 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds bettering that of the contemporary Ferrari Testarossa, as did the estimated top speed of circa 200mph.

Originally converted in 1987, the car offered here is believed to be the only Mk. III Cabriolet made. Previously this Lister formed part of the Royal fleet and was later acquired in 1996 by a Mr. Meakins of Coventry who refurbished the car from top to bottom. Mechanical work was carried out by Lister Cars and included the 7.0 litre engine conversion, Getrag five-speed manual gearbox, sports suspension and a new sports exhaust system. Cosmetically the car benefits from twin headlamps, three-piece alloy wheels and traditionally styled dashboard instruments with capillary-type water and oil temperature gauges. Previously forming part of a small but specialist collection of Jaguars in Scotland, the XJ-S was purchased by the next owner in November 2008. The following owner purchased the Mk. III in 2012 and set about a comprehensive restoration undertaken by XJ-S specialists, KWE in Berkshire. Works carried out included removing the bodykit; repairing the sills, front and rear inner wheel arches, front chassis members and boot floor. A new ECU was fitted and the gearbox was rebuilt by an independent specialist. The interior was re-trimmed in two-tone grey leather with matching carpets and at the owner's request, 'Lister' logos were incorporated into the headrests and door cards, while the hood and the cabriolet roof's steel panels were refurbished and re-trimmed. This Lister was featured in 'Jaguar World' magazine in December 2014 and comes with a sizeable history file including many sundry bills, the invoices of restoration totalling over £103,000, the current UK V5 registration document and a valid MoT test certificate. Also available are videos of the Lister running and driving.

The prolific collector who acquired the Lister nine years ago reports that it will be driven to the sale and as such the mileage reading will differ slightly from the 9,600 showing at time of photography. We believe this Lister is the best example available today. The earth shattering noise that this car produces is justification enough to have it in any collection, let alone its rarity, quality and significance as a part of Jaguar's extraordinary history.

Interested parties should note that that contrary to the catalogue description this vehicle was not part of the Royal fleet.