Hi, how can you identify a Super V8 from a regular Vanden Plas without popping the hood to see the supercharger? It appears the only indicator is the one tiny trunk badge, and all else is identical.

 

The SV8 has the word 'Supercharged' on the tach and fuel displays of the instrument cluster. Is the VDP long wheel base? If not that's a tell at least in the US where I don't believe the short wheel base SV8 was sold (though I don't definitively know). Depending on intake modifications (or lack there) you might be able to hear the supercharger on the SV8. Of course the VIN will reveal it. I haven't researched it so there may be other differences, perhaps in wheel types? At the end of the day the major difference is the SV8 has an additional 96 horsepower, which when you're looking at a modified SV8 can turn into a 140+ hp difference depending on how far one takes it.

When I was looking for a supercharged 4.2 setup I did find an XJR local to me that was being sold as a SuperV8 though I don't think it was an intentional listing error, and it had the SV8 badge in back. Of course the VIN immediately revealed the truth.

 

Previous owners will often try, all sorts of things.
To increase its value, & the chance for of a sale.

 

Okay, so the tach and fuel gauges need to say s/c too, that is helpful.

Anyone aware of any other indicators, if there are any?

As for the wheelbase, it is my impression that in 2004 the US VDP models were SWB, and only in '05+ had the LWB, not sure if that is totally accurate or if it applied to the SV8 too.

 

Just found this image of a S/C dash with S/C inscriptions on BOTH outer gauges

 

Or if you have a car with a Km/h only speedometer, S/C inscriptions on all three gauges.



For the VIN, the car number is the last 5 digits, e.g. 25812. Before that is a letter, G for early cars, H for later ones, e.g. H25812. Before that is the engine type letter. For a supercharged engine it is T. For the N/A 4.2 it is S. So TH25812 is supercharged and SH25812 is N/A. VIN is visible in the left hand bottom corner of the windscreen.

Hope that helps.
Pete M

 

Did they really allocate the letter S for the n/a and T for the Supercharged?! Maybe they should have used N for the turbocharged cars... That takes talent...

 

I didn't get the last joke, but then with a V6 I'm a bit slow.

I understand the Vanden Plas (or Sovereign in Europe) to be a higher trim level. e.g. perhaps contrasting piping, champagne trays ("airline trays" to the rest of you!). There's also "Portfolio". But since options are "optional", there seems to be no way to tell a model by it's options. (other than a higher name having a higher base spec).

The "Super V8" and indeed "Super V8 Portfolio" amounts to Top-of-Line, nevertheless they don't always have everything. e.g. cooled "ventilated" seats which can be determined by perforated leather and no blanked-out console buttons, seem to be optional depending on market (they are normal in Jap Imports as Pete M and I have, even in my lower spec.). Then there is "front heated windscreen" which you poor people at the North Pole apparently have to suffer pesky lines in the glass...I wonder if they have a lockout to prevent cooled seats on max and heated windscreen on High.

This is a long way of saying: I don't know! But for sure I like those airline trays! (I don't have them. I never sit in the back. But they are just classy)

Why don't you get serious and ask about the missing Leaper in some cases? (including mine)

In short, there seem to be too many optional options varying depending on market, and I doubt even Ford or Tata had a global game-plan.

In shorter:
1) Options is not a reliable guide.
2) The label on the back, unless there are scammers out there.
3) The VIN and original description and provenance.

You'll be very aware in this forum that people modify "our car", audio to suspension to diff, so that's something to be aware of too.
I should mention that people alter grills, so that no longer has any meaning.

Oh, the Super V8 (or some of them) have actual side vents, whereas most of us with an X358 have faux side vents.

 

Hi Chris, hope the rain isn't too bad in Auckland, it's stopped down here now. Happy Waitangi Day! (NZ equivalent to 4th July)
Vehicle options are always interesting.
The options are broadly grouped by
1. The country or market. RoW = Rest of World. However, within this there are certain countries classed as 'Rough Road Markets'. Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Dubai, Egypt, Estonia, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco,
New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Russia, Saudi, Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand.
Nice to see New Zealand and Australia in there, though I'm not sure what it means for the components in the car itself.
2. Level of trim. There appear to be several different basic trim 'starting points'. Base, or plain Jane XJ; Sport/XJR, SE, Executive, Sovereign, SuperV8/Vanden Plas. The Executive seems to be the default base level, as I have seen very few plain Jane XJ cars. Also Sport and SE seem to be mostly UK only. I am amused when advertisements for an Executive car talk about 'fully optioned' or 'top of the range'. New Zealand new cars seem to be a bit under-specified, so I suspect the dealers did that to keep the already exorbitant NZ cost as low as possible.
3. The rear badges sometimes tell the truth, but other times they are liars. My badges are XJ8 L and SOVEREIGN, even though the car is a Super V8. The build sheet specified 'no rear badges' so for whatever reason the original purchaser did not want SUPER V8 and XJ. This is the opposite of putting a GT badge on a base model car.. I have also seen an advertisement in Japan for a twin of my car, right down to the badges, so it wasn't a one-off.
4. The VIN is the defining identity for the car, and covers all the above. It is closely followed by the build sheet, which can be accessed by a dealer making a 'vehicles enquiry within SDD. It has all the original specifications and options included and deleted by the original purchaser. At our level of cars, the customer was essentially creating an option list to his/her own preferences, and the digital, probably barcoded options list would have been fed into the computer on the production line. All the right parts appeared at the right time and were fitted.
My car doesn't have: Adaptive Cruise, Sunroof, Garage door openers, TPMS, rear headrest screens or player, heated front screen, and bonnet leaper. These would have been the choices of the Japanese gentleman who proudly took possession in January 2008. Some customers probably made options decisions that seem strange to us, but we weren't there at the time.
I'm slightly tempted to add LED strips inside my grille, it looks very interesting, but so far I've only added aftermarket LED fog lamp replacements with white 'angel eye' rings that are wired to the park lights. Oh, and a full set of Jaguar + leaper puddle light LEDs, which look very cool at night.

Pete M