Representing the tail end of Britain’s golden age of automotive authority, we’re delighted to offer this outstanding example of one of Jaguar’s greatest hits at Duke of London. The perfect blend of subtle upgrades and originality, this XJ6 spend a significant portion of its life as an exhibit in the Yorkshire Motor Museum collection before undergoing an extensive restoration to make it one of the finest XJ6s in the country.
The XJ6 was a very special car for the Coventry-based marque when it arrived in 1968. Specifically designed to usher in a new era for the carmaker, the XJ6 was a comfortable luxury limousine with a penchant for performance. Equipped with the robust and impressive XK twin-cam engine that first emerged back in 1948, the XJ6 initially came equipped with either a 2.8- and 4.2-litres – the latter being the one to have for its superior performance and reliability. As expected of a Jaguar of its standing, the XJ6’s ride quality and interior comfort were – and still are – outstanding. Few cars represent the British brand’s values better than the XJ6 – a car that continues to appeal to seasoned collectors as much as it does casual classic car fans.
For more than a decade the car was carefully looked after by one lady owner on the South Coast until it was sold in the late 1990s. From 1998 to 2005 the car was completely rebuilt, ready to take pride of place in the Yorkshire Motor Museum collection. At the same time, it was regularly used and serviced every 3,000 miles, keeping the engine in fully working order. During the restoration, the body was stripped down, all glass was removed and the body was rust proofed, fully repainted and built up. Its magnificent red leather interior remains original aside from the headliner, which was replaced. The original engine has been rebuilt and upgraded for a 4.2 Jaguar engine. Which was fitted to the car and the final drive unit was changed to a 3.31:1 limited slip differential unit. The car was treated to new brake discs, brake linings, flexi hoses, new wheel bearings, springs, shock absorbers, bushes and universal joints. The fuel tanks were re-conditioned, new fuel pumps, sender units and headlamps also fitted.
Leaving the Yorkshire collection in 211 with 53,000, the car moved to Kent until 2017. In 2017 and early 2018, in the region of £17,000 was spent on the car. This included re-chroming the bumpers, over-riders and grill. The bodywork was thoroughly checked over and found to be outstanding. The underside is exceptional with superb floors, so the only work required was purely cosmetic. Some detailed paintwork was carried to ensure the car looked as sharp as when restored. The underside was waxoyled, cavity wax injected as required, new door mirrors fitted and the dash and door capping's stained and lacquered. Further expenditure included an electronic distributor, new sports coil, re-conditioned water pump and new belt, re-conditioned radiator, re-conditioned heater matrix, new upgraded fan, new coolant hoses, waterless coolant and battery cut off switch. The XJ6 was treated to new fuel pumps, anti-roll bar D bushes, drop link bushes, front ball joint covers, subframe lower mounts, steering boots, steering rack gaiters, front brake discs, pads and calipers, rear brakes were treated to new discs, reconditioned calipers, pads, handbrake pads and flexi hoses and the rear differential gasket was replaced. The front exhaust pipe was replaced, exhaust manifold gaskets replaced, as were HT leads, various relays and switches including the overdrive switch replaced, carburettors rebuilt and set up and all tyres replaced.
This is by far and above the best XJ6 we have ever offered. It presents superbly and drives fantastically. It would make a great daily driver, weekend toy or ULEZ beater. We are incredibly fond of this car.
As with all our cars, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, pictures of the underside and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.