SAVANNAH, Georgia: The 1983 Jaguar XJS that antiques dealer Jim Williams parked on an oriental rug at his Savannah mansion played bit parts in the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."  Now Dorothy Kingery, Williams' sister who has inherited his estate since he died in 1990, hopes the green sports car's brush with fame will fetch it a fat price at auction on ebay.

Bidding on Williams' Jaguar opened online Tuesday and will end July 27. By Tuesday evening, 25 bids had been placed — the highest being for $12,100 (€8,786).

"It's a fast and fun-to-drive car. I drove it a lot right after Jim died," Kingery said Tuesday. "One reason I'm getting rid of it now is I don't drive it much anymore, and it really is a great car."

Williams' three murder trials for a shooting at his 1860s mansion, Mercer House, formed the central plot for "Midnight," John Berendt's 1994 nonfiction best-seller. Clint Eastwood later directed the movie, starring Kevin Spacey as Williams.

Eastwood used Williams' Jaguar in his 1997 film, which shows Spacey behind the wheel. In Berendt's book, the author describes taking a ride with Williams to enlist the aid of a voodoo priestess in his court case.

"We went out through the back of Mercer House to the carriage house, where a green Jaguar sports car was parked on an oriental carpet," Berendt wrote. "Williams set his vodka and tonic on the control panel and eased the car out into Wayne Street. In moments we were gliding through the quiet streets of Savannah."

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, a 1983 Jaguar XJS like Williams' would have a retail value of $4,900 (€3,558) to $8,600 (€6,245) depending on the car's condition.

Paul Laflamme, whose Web hosting company helped Kingery post the Jag on ebay, said it should fetch a higher price at the auction, which was first reported by the Savannah Morning News.

Laflamme, whose company has helped sell numerous cars on ebay, said Kingery opted to sell it online to find buyers willing to pay more because of the car's association with "Midnight."

"There's a certain cachet for the celebrity value that it wouldn't just get from somebody buying it off the street in Savannah," Laflamme said.

Kingery said Williams bought the Jaguar new during a visit to London in the early 1980s and had it shipped to Savannah.

The odometer shows just 46,000 miles (74,026 kilometers). That is partly because Williams mostly drove around Savannah in a Cadillac Eldorado, a vehicle that was less glamorous but more practical for hauling antiques.

Ted Svedres has serviced and repaired the Jaguar for Williams and his sister since 1986 at Autosport Inc., Svedres' Savannah service shop specializing in European cars.

He said the car is in excellent shape. When Eastwood shot the "Midnight" movie here, he said, the director had Svedres' shop repaint the Jag and make sure its tires, brakes, shocks and other parts were in tiptop condition before filming it.

Williams, Svedres said, doted on the Jaguar about as much.

"He loved the car," Svedres said. "It was his baby."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/17/america/NA-GEN-US-Auction-Midnight-Car.php