The first owner was Jaguar Fleet Cars, from 2016 until 2020. It was then sold at a trade auction, shipped from Baltimore to the UAE, and first registered in Dubai in December 2025 with just 900 miles on the clock. According to RTA records, it was used very sparingly after that, and the last owner, a German, kept it stored most of the time in an underground garage.

A private sale

Purchased privately on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, this car came with a fascinating history. Factory records showed it was originally built in 2015 as a 2017 model year, shipped to the United States and owned by Jaguar Fleet Cars USA in their engineering department. It sat virtually untouched until February 2020, when it was sold at a trade auction with just 31 miles on the odometer. From there it was shipped to Dubai, where it first registered in December 2020. When I bought it in May 2025, the RTA check confirmed the mileage at 11,800 miles was genuine, having covered only 900 miles in its first four and a half years.

The car passed a comprehensive 165-point Jaguar inspection with no issues. The underside showed zero rust and looked factory-fresh. Jaguar’s records confirmed that the water coolant Y pipes had already been replaced as part of routine maintenance. The US lighting had been upgraded to ECE specification to meet UAE regulations.

I had a full service carried out, which revealed nothing amiss. The previous owner had kept the car for two years before I found it.

+2

The car arrived in Turkey in September 2025 and went straight into bonded storage. Customs proved impossible to navigate, each demand met with another. After witnessing the driving on Turkish roads, I decided the safest place for the Jag was exactly where it was, locked away from harm. Even a bond of $120,000 failed to break the impasse.

So there it sits, in storage, waiting. It will stay there until 2028, when I’ll collect it and register it in Madeira. That’s when our real life together will begin.

Tucked away safe in storage.

“I wanted a convertible to ultimately be driven in Madeira. I can’t think of a better car to drive through the mountains and tunnels that criss-cross the island.”