The owner of Body by George never expected his long-stored Jaguar XJS to become the one thing left standing after a destructive fire—but timing changed everything.
He bought the car at auction back in 1996, not long after growing up around the business through his father, who owned a dealership. The Jaguar wasn’t just another project. It was something he drove and enjoyed for years before eventually parking it with a plan in mind: one day, it would be restored properly.
That day was finally coming.
After sitting for years behind his business, the XJS was scheduled to be shipped out to a restoration shop just two weeks ago. But plans changed. The transport was delayed, and the car stayed put.
Then the fire happened.
While much of the surrounding area was destroyed, the Jaguar remained—damaged beyond saving, but still unmistakably there. The same car that had sat untouched for years suddenly became the center of attention for a completely different reason.
There’s a certain irony in that timing. Had everything gone as planned, the car likely would have been gone before the fire ever started. Instead, it stayed behind and became part of the aftermath.
The owner now considers the car a total loss, but not necessarily the end of its story. He says he hopes someone with the right resources might be interested in buying it, possibly giving it a second life in some form.
For now, though, nothing can be done. The vehicle remains exactly where it sat when the fire occurred, as the property is still considered an active crime scene.
And in a strange way, that Jaguar—once just a long-delayed retirement project—has become something else entirely.
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