Firm's 2001 XK8

[Firm]

Teased this a bit in one of the other threads, but like most of my automotive acquisitions, this one was just a really good deal on a car needing some love. The guy who owned it was a bit of a car enthusiast; apparently he had owned an Austin Healey and some kinda Triumph, prior to purchasing this. Sounds like he took decent care of it, but money got tight and he started to fall behind on maintenance, and then he unfortunately got sick and passed away. His widow let the car sit in her car port for about a year, with the driver's window down (battery died on her with the window down). Fortunately, the car port protected it somewhat, but lots of dust and leaves blew into the car.

I put a battery in it and it started right up and rans amazing! It originally had a bunch of warning lights, but after a few drive cycles they've all cleared except for an airbag light - which I suspect is for the passenger side seat belt receiver which is mangled for some reason.

Paint and body is pretty nice, not perfect, but a good 5-footer. Interior is filthy, I gave it a quick vacuum, but it still needs a deep clean....I think it'll clean up OK, but I am going to have to either replace or repair the leather center console lid. All electronics work properly, including the AC and power top.

It's drivable, but the strut mounts are absolutely shot, totally disintegrated, which is a common issue on this generation (the X100) XKs, but this is the worst I've ever seen. Struts are just knocking around, super loud in the car, and so loose that it's creating a bunch of vibration and feedback in the steering wheel.

Obviously a quick wash was transformational here, but I'll give it a proper deep clean and get it all tidied up as time allows. I did change the oil today, because it was black and low, topped up the rest of the fluids, and filled the tank with 93 octane. Going to order some strut mounts and get those done as soon as I can followed by an alignment. I inspected the rest of the front end and it all looks OK, tires are new (2025 date codes), but some off-brand made in Indonesia.

Some 'Before' photos


















And after a quick wash

[Tortoise]

What a difference after a wash! I love the blue top, it looks so much classier than a black one.

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress in getting it sorted. Do you plan to keep it? Or drive it for a bit then flip?

[Gurgie]

Nice find!

[Johnnymac]

Such a classic sexy GT car.  Definitely found the right person to get her back presentable and off to another owner.

[Firm]

Thanks, and yeah, I'll probably fix it up, maybe drive it 6 months - year, and then move it on. I really want / need to shift my focus over to the Mercedes 380SL project(s) (i.e engine swap) while we have cooler fall/winter weather, so I want to get the XK8 front suspension sorted, and the interior cleaned, then I'll use it as a driver and pick away at the cosmetics slowly while I work on the Benz stuff.

One thing that's going to suck...Tint removal is necessary here. Someone had it tinted, and then removed some (driver's window), but the rest is really bad with peeling/bubbling.

[Fobroader]

That baffles me when I see a car like that left to rot and end up in that condition. Great save man.

[Firm]

Yeah, it happens, especially with deaths and whatnot. The part that gets me is that this car is now 25 years old...I remember when these came out in the late 90's and they were like a dream car to me. Early 00's I remember my dad taking the family to a Jag dealer to look at X-Types, he was finally going to replace his Camaro daily driver and they had one of these in the showroom, in a similar color combo and I couldn't get my eyes off it. Dad came to his senses, drove the Camaro another year or so and then bought an off-lease 99 XK8 - silver on black, which he still has today.

Those days don't feel THAT long ago....but now here I am, that showroom car is just another wreck sitting in my driveway

[Oliver]

Is your dad's XK a coupe or vert?

The blue looks great, especially with the matchinng top. I always thought these cars look absolutely fantastic.

[Blizzard]

So sexy. Half of me wishes I lived in your area so I could buy this off you when you're done with it, and the other half of me is happy I don't, because I'd buy it and I've always assumed these cars are maintenance nightmares both in terms of cost and complexity.

Someone in my area growing up had a black XKR coupe of this generation which I always remember looking incredible. Really timeless and a rare example of a car that looks good with such a large rear overhang.

I'm always mulling over what I'll get as a second car when I have more parking in hopefully 1.5-2 years. I definitely want something older but I'm very indecisive, so I've been flipping back and forth between something like this, a Porsche Boxster or other similar roadster, or an actual vintage car (1980s or earlier) like an MG, old Fiat 500, or old Mini Cooper.

[Firm]

They certainly are good looking cars. My dad's Silver 99 is also a convertible, though my brother had an 03(?) black on black XKR coupe for quite a few years as well. This generation (the X100) is a much simpler car than the later (X150) like my 2010 XKR...The X150 feels a little more dialed in, whereas the X100 feels more like a traditional Jag - which makes sense as the X100 underpinnings are really just a refresh of the XJS which dates back to the 70's, where the X150 was an entirely new platform. The benefit of that is that the X100, especially the XK8 version without the complexity of the supercharger or expensive big brakes, is pretty low maintenance and easy to live with....Basic 4.0L (or 4.2L on the later ones) NA V8, pretty standard suspension setup (XKR has pricy electronic dampers, XK8 doesn't), good old ZF 5-speed auto.

Issue with these are minimal and well documented at this point. The strut mounts being the most common, but I just ordered a new set for $225 bucks, I'll DIY the install, but even if a shop did it, you'd be looking at maybe 4-5 hours labor....not a huge $ job. Wheels speed sensors are common issues (again, cheap and easy), and earlier models had issues with cylinder wall linings and plastic timing guides, but 01+ those were resolved.

I am really likin the simplicity of the old 4.0L here...Did an oil change on the weekend, took 20 minutes and uses a normal spin on filter. Did my XKR a few weeks before....took 2 hours, getting it on the lift, removing the undertray, fighting with the cartridge filter setup, etc.  The XK8 has a real dipstick too, so it's easy to confirm your oil level, vs the dumb electronic dipstick in the 2010. Probably one of the easier, more robust, of the Euro sporty/performance cars to own from this era.