Description

1975 Jaguar XJC 4.2 Convertible

Formerly owned by Martin Brazil, who commissioned the first XJC Cabriolet from Avon-Stevens; showing just 53,000 miles; off the road for some 20 years; in need of some recommissioning; believed to be 1 of only 12 produced; LPG conversion

Before the XJ-S Cabriolet, Jaguar couldn't sell you an XJ convertible of any kind however much you wanted one - they were too busy producing their beautifully proportioned two-door coupe which they made from 1973 to 1977. 

Back in 1975, businessman Martin Brazil had a craving for a luxurious four-seater convertible with enough room for the family. A converted Range Rover being a little agricultural back in the day and a Corniche a little on the grand side, he asked for the advice of designer, Tony Stevens.

After much deliberation, the story goes that Stevens got his hands on a Corgi model of a an XJC, snipped the roof off, thought that looked pretty stylish and took it to Graham Hudson at Avon Coachworks and said something along the lines of, ‘ can we make one of these for my friend Martin please?’

Much fine tuning followed, Martin Brazil finally taking ownership of the first XJC-Cabriolet in 1978. Unfortunately, the launch of the XJ-S Convertible not long after proved too much for this venture and we believe just 12 were successfully converted by Avon-Stevens. Avon Bodies Ltd of Warwickshire had a long history of coachbuilding dating back to 1919 but demand for specialist work diminished and in latter years they struggled to thrive. In a bid to resurrect the Avon coachbuilding name, work started in the 1970s to transform cars such as Range Rovers into convertibles hence they were the obvious choice for the job.

The car on offer was originally registered as a coupe in June 1975 and presumably converted later that decade. It would be nice to think that this was the first one that Martin Brazil initially ordered, although according to the logbook, he acquired it in 1987 and there were five previous keepers, so perhaps this was a replacement for the original. This car also has an LPG conversion, which no doubt made it a little easier on the wallet to use regularly. JGW 797N was put into storage approximately 20 years ago by Brazil, showing just over 50,000 miles, our vendor becoming the new registered keeper in 2015. It remains in pretty good order as can be seen in the photos and we have briefly driven it since it has been onsite. The engine sounds sweet, but it will require a full recommissioning before use once more. The complex hood folds up and down and remains in serviceable condition. It comes with a current V5C on file which confirms the ownership history.

This fascinating Jaguar may not be a factory conversion, but is a period transformation to a very high standard, believed to be by respected coachbuilders Avon-Stevens. You are not going to see another one any time soon.

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