‘And then she gasped! Parked beneath her, an enormous pink ribbon wrapped around it and tied into a bow on its roof, was a sparkling Jaguar XJ12C, a 1976 model, one of the most beautiful coupes ever built, with not a bad line on it anywhere. Her birthday present from her husband.

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‘This was ten or so years later so it wasn’t a brand new model. But that wasn’t the point: the Jag XJs were so classy, so desirable, with what at the time to a certain English set seemed like London gangster chic. Though in this model’s case, it was simply a perfect car for ferrying her two small children to school.

‘What is notable about this Jaguar XJ12C that we have is that this 12-cylinder model is one of only 686 of these cars produced for the U.S. market. It is a two-door pillar-less example, one of a limited production run.

‘Finished in Greensand and black vinyl roof combined with a tan interior, this car is equipped with an automatic transmission, V12 engine, front wheel disc brakes, power steering, sunroof, Smiths instruments (battery condition indicator, oil pressure, water temperature gauge, fuel level gauge, tachometer, speedometer), quad headlights, side marker lights, grille badges, chrome trim, two-spoke steering wheel, Dunlop white-line tires, Jaguar-branded hub caps, jack, tool roll, and a full-size spare tire fitted in the trunk.

‘Amenities include air conditioning, a Kienzle dashboard clock, a Panasonic radio, an ashtray, a lockable glove box with a concealed vanity mirror on the left-hand side of the lid, map light, an armrest center console, dual-side mirrors, sun visors, electrically operated windows, cigar lighter and a rear folding armrest.

‘The Jaguar XJ was a series of full-size luxury cars that were produced by the British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1968 to 2019: from 1970 the XJ was Jaguar’s flagship model. There were five basic platform generations, debuting in 1968, 1986, 1994, 2003, and 2009. The original XJ was the last Jaguar saloon to have had the input of Sir William Lyons, the founder of the company, one that in the UK received a Royal seal of approval.

‘Within those separate generations there were often interesting amendments.

‘From then on all XJs had an additional 4 inches of passenger cabin length; in total the car was 196.5 inches long. These improvements only enhanced the beauty of the Jaguar XJ12.

‘The series II Jaguar XJ cars were visually different from their predecessors: to meet U.S. crash safety regulations they had raised front bumpers. This necessitated a smaller grille. Meanwhile, the car’s sumptuous interior received a considerable update, with improved heating and A/C systems.

‘And in April 1975 these adjustments went a step further. For North America the XJs were given a revised set of front bumpers with rubber over-riders that covered the entire length of the bumper.

‘Of course, our beautiful blonde model receiving her XJ12 as a birthday gift was in the UK. Pulling up to her bumper was not hampered by rubberwear. All she needed to do was to undo that fetching pink ribbon. Although the car has long moved on, she still has that ribbon, tucked away in a dresser drawer.

‘A memory of the greatest birthday present she ever received.

-Alex Manos, Owner