Why XJ40?
XJ40 has always been a big part of my life. Growing up, my mum and dad had four XJ40's during the production run, so everything from going to school to going on holiday, an XJ40 was part of it.
In June 1994 when XJ40 was succeeded by the X300, I still preferred the the older car. Not to say that anything is wrong with X300, they are great, I own one of those too, but XJ40 had already become my all time favourite Jaguar, and nothing was ever going to change that.
How did it start?
As mad as it sounds...it was a complete accident! In the early hours of the 23rd June 2016 I just couldn't sleep. It was one of those nights where I was going to see every hour on the clock, so I decided to get out of bed and catch up on some e-mails. As I sat waiting for the laptop to power on, I looked out the window at "FVC", one of my XJ40's which was sitting on the driveway.
A few months prior, I had visited the JDHT museum and saw the last ever XJ40 built, car 708757. This car is registered M94 FVC, so was very close to my car, M105 FVC, at least when it came to being registered.
I had left the museum wondering how closely related these two cars were, so that night in June, I decided to try and answer that question.
After creating a basic Excel sheet, I managed to trace and identify every "FVC" car in the registration batch, which yielded some interesting results. After a couple of hours, tiredness set in, so I decided to go back to bed. I saved the Excel file, and at that point where I had to choose a name to call it, I typed in "XJ40 Register".
I didn't know it at the time, but I had just started something that would change the rest of my life.
Meet the fleet...and the Data
2021 Honda CR-V EX 1.5T Auto
My daily driver. Comfortable, lots of equipment, and great in the snow which is handy when you live in Scotland. This is what I spend most of my driving time in and its not bad for a modern car.
Premium Crystal Red Pearl with Ivory interior
1994 Jaguar XJ6 4.0S (Sport) Auto
The car that started it all, car number 1 of the XJ40 Register. M105 FVC was purchased in 2011. Some of you will note the Coventry plate. The last XJ40 built is registered as M94 FVC.
Morocco Red Pearl with Magnolia interior
1994 Jaguar Sovereign Majestic (LWB) 4.0 Auto
Purchased in 2015, this car is a rare one. A long wheelbase Majestic, and the only one built to this exact specification. Owned for nearly 20 years as a mayoral car of Leicester (1 ABC).
Morocco Red Pearl with Magnolia (Cherry piped) interior
1997 Jaguar XJ6 Sport 3.2 Auto
I had never considered an X300 until I was offered this one in 2021 by a very good friend and Jaguar Master Technician. Even though XJ40 will always be my favourite, I do have a lot of love for X300.
Antigua Blue Metallic with Nimbus interior
2006 Jaguar X-Type 2.0D SE Nav Manual
A local car that I knew of since it left the showroom in 2006, this one owner 29,000 mile X-Type came up for sale during Covid, in Lockdown 1, when we couldn't go outside. I stuck a bid in for the price of an iPhone and I won it!!! Its been with me since June 2020 and is a lovely example.
Midnight Metallic with Champagne interior
The Research Database
This is where it all happens - countless hours of work which not only binds all of the cars on this section together, but cars all over the world. Many people have asked if this information will ever be live online. The short answer is no, for many reasons, including the size of the website needed and the potential data protection conflict that would bring.
Some key things I record?
Trim/Spec/Series
Exterior Colour
Interior Colour
Wheel Style
VIN
Build Date
Engine Size & Number
Country originally issued to
Country last known to be in
Activity Status
Last known mileage
Distinguishing Features/Notes