You can become the owner of a piece of Jaguar tuning history with the 1990 XJR-S Monaco prototype (25 photos)

Although the Jaguar XJS has aged rather elegantly, it has long been considered, to use the British expression, "worthy of notice". This prompted a number of enthusiasts to create their own own versions such as the 1990 XJR-S "Monaco".





The heir to the legendary E-Type - Jaguar XJS looking trendy both in the late 70s and early 90s. Neat adjustments, occasionally introduced by the factory into the appearance of an elite two-door, were hardly satisfied supporters of progress, which could include Paul Bailey from British Bristol.

Jaguar XJS V12 Convertible 1992







Purely for himself, a retired aeronautical engineer sketched what XJS could evolve into, and decided to make the dream come true with his forces, knowing full well that in Jaguar his proposal does not will be interested. “There is no point in coming up with a design that is impossible implement,” Bailey explained his further actions in an interview Jaguar Quarterly in 1992. XJS in its version had a new optics, radiator grille and most of the body panels, including including the hood, while the technical filling of the car was not affected - according to in fact, a deep facelift.



Surprisingly, to some extent, the aircraft engineer became a visionary, since a significant part of his stylistic findings was embodied a few years later on the XJS successor, the Jaguar XK8.

Jaguar XK8 (1997)



Another innovation of the newly-minted Jaguar XJR-S Monaco is the body fiberglass. At first, Bailey planned to order metal cladding Park Sheet Metal, the same workshop that made the supercar body Jaguar XJ220, but then abandoned this idea, which allowed further significant cost savings.



Initiative restyling of the old XJS has been recognized by many connoisseurs of the brand, including the Sultan of Brunei, in whose collection there was a place two XJR-S Monaco at once. From a commercial point of view, Paul Bailey's business turned out to be unprofitable, since from 1992 to 2001 they made no more than a dozen machines.



The copy of the XJR-S Monaco that will be sold at auction through ten days at an auction at Silverstone is not exactly common. Starter life as the original prototype, it was used for advertising, featured in magazines like EVO. The first owner was Scottish oil tycoon who later sold it to its current owner. In 1999, he refreshed the purchase and made it very non-trivial method by rearranging all XJR-S Monaco body parts to a new carrier - late modification of the Jaguar XJR-S with a more powerful 6-liter V12 in 318 l. With. In other words, it's not the car that changed the body, but the body changed automobile.



Other improvements include a modified system engine intake, dual exhaust pipes and TWR suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers. Estimated price of the lot - 18-24 thousand pounds sterling, fiberglass, unlike carbon, is inexpensive.