1997 Jaguar XK8 Convertible - collected in Haydon Bridge
A 1997 Jaguar XK8 convertible left under a tree in Haydon Bridge for almost a year. Cracked screen, keyed door, a tired soft-top. We jump-started it, drove it home under its own power, and cleaned it up to respectable.
A 1997 Jaguar XK8 convertible in the champagne-gold shade these cars are known for. Technically its registered colour had been changed from beige to gold by a previous keeper who was not keen on "beige" sitting on the logbook. Most people would call it champagne, and on a late-nineties Jaguar it looks right.
This one had been left standing under a tree in Haydon Bridge for the best part of a year, and the spot had not been kind to it. The windscreen had cracked somewhere along the way, cars parking alongside had scraped it, someone had keyed the driver's side, and the soft-top was filthy and starting to show its age. Long enough sitting that most people would have written it off as a project, or worse.
We do not judge a car on how it looks after a year under a tree. We got a jump pack on it, and after a few minutes idling and warming through, it ran well enough to drive itself back to base under its own power. For a V8 that had not turned a wheel in months, that tells you how these were built.
It came with its private plate, and once we had cleaned it up properly it looked very respectable again. The XK8 was an automatic-only car, with Sport mode, heated seats and the long-legged V8 grand-tourer character that has aged into proper modern-classic territory.
This is exactly the sort of car we will take on when others will not: sat for a year, cosmetically tired, technically a non-runner on the day. We have the transporter, the jump packs and the patience for it. If you have a classic or a V8 sitting and going backwards, talk to us before you write it off.
