Another awesome car. The now appreciating classic, the Jaguar XJS with the classic V12 engine. These were taken by Lister and modified over several years. The style changed a little as time went on but all were serious motors that you can’t mistake for anything else.
So our test ride in this was pretty outstanding, in that the engine once fired up gave a gorgeous smooth but yet powerfully loud sound. You knew it stood out in the crowd, with arches built out to enclose the extremely wide tyres. These tyres gave the car incredible grip, once out on the road the power was in your back, shoving you, not wafting like a normal XJS generally feels like.
This was like the Jaguars heart unleashed, around a roundabout the owner gave it some serious power, but did it slide the tail? not one inch, it gripped and gripped. This just pushed on.
The ride was over all too quickly, but never forgotten. These cars are unique, the styling tweaks, and the power increases give it presence on the road.
General Overview
- The Jaguar XJ-S was Jaguar’s luxury grand tourer, produced from 1975 to 1996.
- In the mid-1980s, Lister Cars (a British specialist tuning and racing company, famous since the 1950s) began offering heavily modified versions of the XJ-S.
- These cars are commonly referred to as Lister-Jaguars or simply Lister XJS.
Engine & Performance
- Early conversions usually started with Jaguar’s 5.3-litre V12 engine.
- Lister increased displacement in some cars to 7.0 litres, with special high-performance internals.
- Power outputs jumped from the standard ~285 hp up to 400–500 hp+, depending on spec.
- Top speeds were reported around 175–190 mph (280–305 km/h) — astonishing for the late 1980s.
- 0–60 mph (0–100 km/h) times were in the 5-second range, making it one of the fastest road cars of its era.
Technical Highlights
- Lister upgraded:
- High-compression pistons, reworked cams, and fuel injection tuning.
- Stiffer suspension and uprated brakes.
- Wide-body kits with flared arches and larger wheels for handling and grip.
- Manual gearbox options were offered (a rarity for a V12 Jaguar), which made it much more engaging than the stock automatic XJ-S.
Design & Looks
- Visually, early Lister XJS cars gained aggressive wide-body kits, deep front spoilers, side skirts, and quad exhausts.
- Interiors were often retrimmed with luxury leather and walnut, but could also be made sportier with bucket seats and custom dials.
- The styling was unmistakably 1980s — muscular and bold compared to Jaguar’s more restrained factory design.
Production & Rarity
- Lister’s XJS conversions were very limited – estimates suggest fewer than 100 fully built cars in the 1980s, many of them bespoke to customer specification.
- Because each was custom-ordered, specs vary widely between cars.
Legacy
- The early Lister XJS became known as the “British muscle car” – mixing Jaguar luxury with brutal performance.
- It transformed the XJ-S from a genteel GT into a serious supercar rival.
- These cars are now extremely collectible, valued both for their rarity and their place in the wild tuner-car culture of the 1980s.
