UK Silverstone Auction Results (24th-25th Feb)

Between 1992 and the early 2000s, Bristol-based company, PBB Design, offered a series of modifications for the XJ-S under the name “Monaco”, completely changing the car’s look and character. Built in tiny numbers, it was one of the better-designed, modified examples of Jaguar’s big GT that were prevalent at the time.

The car was the brainchild of Paul Bailey, a former aircraft engineer. It came about one day when he found himself doodling to what he considered to be a more attractive version of the XJS, Although he initially got in touch with Park Sheet Metal, the same shop that helped produce the Jaguar XJ220 concept, to create steel body panels, he eventually decided to make the add-ons out of fiberglass.

His design included a longer, rounder nose that featured a down-turned oval grille, and much wider wheel-arches front and back to cover wider wheels. The glass-fibre panels simply bonded to the car’s bodywork, requiring no structural changes.

The bonnet was also new, again made from composite, and required a redesign of its hinge mounting due to the lower rake of the front. The body-kit also included brake vents above the sill.

The design is now considered forward looking with many of the design elements that would come to define the Jaguar XK8 several years later.

Cost

However, it wasn’t a cheap conversion, at £24,500 (A$43,000) plus a car. The cost included a body-kit, 17” split rims from Compomotive, a suspension package and a totally bespoke interior that featured better-quality leather for the seats, a suede-covered dashboard and plush carpets.

Unsurprisingly, the business only lasted long enough to produce a total of 12 vehicles (though there is some dispute about that number), with the first two allegedly being sold to the Sultan of Brunei. The general consensus is 12, mixed between coupes and convertibles, V12s and straight-sixes.

This Monaco

The car for sale started life as the original prototype and was used as the company’s poster car, appearing in magazines such as EVO.

Originally sold to a Scottish oil executive, it then made its way into the hands of the current owner. In 1999, longing for a little extra power, he turned to another Jaguar expert, Paul Hands, for some help. Together, they decided to take all the PBB Design parts off the car, and install them on a later model 1992 JaguarSport XJR-S.

That means that the car now has a bigger 6.0-liter V12 that was originally rated for 318 hp (237 kW/322 PS). It also has a modified intake system, dual exhausts, and TWR-developed suspension with Bilstein shocks.

This car was auctioned for sale through Silverstone Auctions on 25th February 2023 with estimates between £18,000£24,000 ($31,000 to $42,000 AUD).

The car sold for £24,750 (A$44,000). .