Harry Metcalfe’s Restored Jaguar XJC V12 is a Dream Machine
This Jaguar XJC was already unicorn-level rare, and there’s unlikely another example in this condition anywhere on earth.
You have to love Harry Metcalfe. With a collection that includes high-dollar hardware like the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa, and Jaguar XE SV Project 8, the legendary petrolhead has demonstrated an appreciation for a wide variety of machines. Now, Harry can afford to restore virtually anything he wants to. But as a Jaguar fan, it was awesome to see he’d chosen a classic XJC to receive the treatment, and he’s just unveiled the results of the year-long project. As you’d imagine, the car is spectacular.
Of course, this was no ordinary XJC to begin with, as it was packing not just a V12 engine, but a manual transmission. That makes it unicorn-level rare, and as Harry explains in this clip, there’s unlikely another example in this condition anywhere in the world. Because while the gorgeous coupe has piqued some collector curiosity in recent years, it still doesn’t have the cache of something like an E-Type. That said, this car was kept mostly stock during the restoration process, even as the exterior finish was changed to a bespoke color based on Aston Martin’s Minotaur Green.
One small change that paid big dividends was relocating the the front number plate from on the front bumper to underneath it. It cleans up the lines tremendously, and I have to wonder about how massive the no-front-plate fines must be in merry old England. Because in the States? Enthusiasts often just don’t mount them.
Another little tweak Harry made was to fit a set of slightly larger exhaust pipes, to match the performance manifold and air cleaner installed under the bonnet. Before the restoration, the car had already been fitted with a performance suspension, so the handling had already been sorted, and as a result it rides a little lower than stock.
Aside from some leather bits on the top of the door cards and the dash, along with a decidedly not-stock head unit, the cabin is basically as Coventry left it. Since he liked the way the seats had broken in, Harry didn’t even have them redone during the process. As lovely as this car is, getting it to this point was decidedly not cheap. Rebuilding the engine cost $28,000, while the bodywork added another $46,000 to the total. Throw in $6,700 for the suspension and the $13,500 initial cost of the car, and you’re looking at a total of about $95k. Watch the video to see if you think it was money well spent!
Photos: YouTube