As celebrity endorsements go, this one's a biggie. A 1999 Jaguar XJR once owned by Jeremy Clarkson is going under the hammer at Anglia Car Auctions next weekend with a guide price of between £2,500 and £4,500.
Clarkson was a bit of a fan of the old XJR, so much so that in a 1995 column for the Sunday Times he described it as "the best car [obligatory pause] in the world."
Read about the new XJR here.
The big Jag remained registered to Jaguar throughout the time it was Clarkson's possession but was used as his long term test car. The car received regular mentions in Clarkson's motoring columns, mainly because it was impossible to keep clean.
"Black cars cannot achieve that all-over scum effect so, when it's dirty, it just looks awful," he moaned. "I have to clean it and in a morning, when the dew has evaporated, it's coated once more in dust. So I have to clean it again.
"In a month, I've spent 42 hours driving it and 420 hours washing it and I cannot even begin to tell you what a chore this is."
The Jaguar XJR was fitted with a supercharged 4.0-litre V8 engine with a 'poweeeeeer' figure of 370bhp. 0-62mph was dealt with in 5.6 seconds and at the top end the Jag had to be electronically restrained at 155mph.
Since Clarkson owned the Jaaaaag, it has had just one registered keeper and appears to be in very good condition, with no signs of the wear you'd expect to see thanks to the Top Gear presenter's, ahem, exuberant driving style. The rear tyres, for example, appear to still have rubber on them.
So, if you fancy getting behind the wheel of Clarkson's ex-Jag, pop down to Anglia Car Auctions on 24 August.
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