My Jag is a British prowler with an American heartbeat, a feral cat with an attitude! LOL!

I bought it cheap in 2004 from a recently retired client who was going to donate it to the Kidney Foundation as a tax deduction because he was moving from a large home with a four car garage to a condominium resort that allowed him to bring only two of his 5 car collection. The Jag was the least of his favorite and was parked outside of the garage covered with a tarp and remained un-driven for over a year. Later he admitted that it was the most unreliable amongst his collection.

Needless to say the car looked grossly neglected when I picked it up. The black paint was dull and almost no shine at all, the interior had a musty smell, and the supposedly light-colored leather seats had a filthy brownish color all over. Essentially, the owner wanted to donate the car as a tax write-off to save himself from having to clean the car or pay a detailer to make it look salable. After a thorough washing & scrubbing, days of detail work, and countless polishing with Zaino products I was able to restore the exterior and interior to near brand-new condition. It just blew me away how awesome it looked! As the car had only 31,081 miles and completely rust free I figured I got me a real winner.

Next, I turned my attention to the V12 which was supposed to be the XJS’ defining feature. Unfortunately this was a huge disappointment. During the two years that I drove the V12, it was an unpleasant and expensive experience. Despite all the work done on the engine by a Jaguar mechanic, (one of only two Jaguar V12 mechanics in the island) the car still occasionally stalled while stopped at traffic lights, brand-new batteries drained prematurely if not driven for a week, sudden loss of power while cruising and many times the engine just quit while driving. I never enjoyed my rides because of these unpredictable problems. I always shuddered with the thought that this eye-catching black Jaguar convertible would quit in the middle of a busy street.

After what looked like a never ending and costly trips to the mechanic and no improvement, I also gave up and simply parked the car in my garage for the next two years. Like the previous owner, I was too paranoid that the car might stall on me even on short drives. I think this also explained why this 13 year old car had only 31,081 miles at the time I bought it.

Early in 2007, I finally decided to turn this “show and tell” car into a "drive and enjoy" Jaguar. To the dismay of many Jaguar purists, I replaced the huge and heavy V12 with a Chevy 350 and 700R4 transmission matched with a perky street cam and an Edelbrock carb. Yes I opted for a carbureted setup to keep everything simple so that any backyard mechanic (specially me) can work on it if the need arises. I also replaced the 15” wheels and 235/60/15 tires with Drivenman custom 17” wheels and 235/50/17 Michelin PS2 tires. This dramatically enhanced the overall look of the car. It was like replacing a pair of old shoes with new ones to match a new Armani suit.

Nowadays my Cat is a pleasure to drive all the time. Of course, on sunny days only and in Maui, that would be pretty much every day  :-)   It’s a real stunner. Seriously. It’s not unusual to see people giving me a thumbs up as I drive by, engaging in conversation about the car with other drivers at the gas pumps, getting compliments while stopped at traffic lights, and curious onlookers taking a close look at the car at parking lots. I’ve parked it next to late model Mercedes, BMW roadsters, and even Jaguars at the office and still my Cat got more attention.

Well, it’s not a virgin Jaguar anymore and I don’t care. What matters is that it is now almost a daily-driver and as reliable and flawless as a well-tuned Honda Civic. I delight in the thought that It’s still elegantly British on the outside, but underneath, it is an old-fashion American muscle car. Yep, having owned a 70 Hemicuda and a 74 TransAm SD455 in my younger years, this transformed hybrid XJS reminds me of those exciting times. I think I got me the best of both worlds - the beauty and the beast.

Mahalo (thank you) for enduring my short Jaguar story  :-)

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