Good things come to those who wait, and for Jaguar devotees wanting an XJS convertible, it was more than a decade. Fears that California would ban convertibles meant the XJS was only launched as a 240 km/h coupe in 1975. The wait ended in 1988 after Karmann, the German coachbuilder, created a full convertible. The facelift model, launched in 1991, gained revised lighting, new dash instruments and better build quality. It was a success with U.S. customers, including the musicians Tupac Shakur and Tom Petty. The V-12 was increased to 6.0 litres, and also offered was the four-litre convertible with AJ16 engine. It offered better economy for the same performance.

Finished in Signal Red with magnolia leather, beige hood and optional fog lamps, it is among just 11 V-12s made that year. According to the original service book which accompanies the car, this example was delivered new to the U.S. through Jaguar of Thousand Oaks. Its first owner listed in the manual is MDR Car Collection Inc., located at 9815 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, taking delivery on 31 March 1992. Interestingly, MDR was a company that provided cars to the film industry for use in movies.

It is not known how long the car remained in California, but at some point, it made its way to Japan and remained there until 2013, when it was exported to Europe. The car was purchased in 2015 by its current owner and imported to Switzerland, where it has remained ever since.